[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               50 YEARS OF RFE/RL BROADCASTING OF BELARUS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, May 20, 2004 will mark the 50 year 
anniversary of Congressional action which authorized broadcasting to 
Belarus. This is an anniversary, which I note with some regret. It is 
unfortunate that we still need to broadcast to Belarus, and it is 
unfortunate that democracy and freedom of speech have not made greater 
progress there.
  The transition to democracy and genuine freedom of speech in the 
former communist countries has never been easy. Belarus, a former 
Soviet republic that regained its independence when the Soviet Union 
collapsed in 1991, is an exception when compared to its neighbors, such 
as Ukraine and Russia. Since elected President in 1994, Alexander 
Lukashenka has relentlessly curbed independent media outlets in 
Belarus. As his regime became increasingly authoritarian, leaders of 
the democratic opposition have disappeared; civil society activists 
have been routinely detained, beaten by Special Forces, imprisoned and 
fined by government courts; and numerous NGOs have been closed. Belarus 
is the only country in Europe where Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 
(RFE/RL) continues to broadcast as it did during the darkest days of 
the Cold war--exclusively from abroad and relying primarily on short 
wave radio.
  Mr. Speaker, RFE/RL listeners in Belarus greatly appreciate this 
service provided by U.S. taxpayers. The atmosphere of fear does not 
stop people from expressing their feelings of gratitude and support. A 
priest from a regional town writes to RFE/RL: ``When I listen to your 
programs I think that it is God who is speaking trough your waves to 
Belarusians.'' A listener from Minsk, the country's capital, writes: 
``Radio Liberty is doing more for democracy in Belarus than all the 
opposition taken together.'' A former member of parliament, Uladzimer 
Kudinsky, imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime, was listening to the 
RFE/RL Belarus service over a radio smuggled into prison and found out 
that due to international pressure he was to be released in a week. The 
ground breaking reporting of the RFE/RL Belarus service helped discover 
and document illegal arms deals between the Lukashenka regime and 
Saddam Hussein.
  It is a tradition of the Belarus service to step in and give an 
outlet to those who the government tries to muffle--opposition leaders, 
journalists from banned newspapers and magazines, children from the 
only Belarusian language high school which was shut down by the 
authorities, and civil society activists who are harassed and arrested. 
For 50 years the FRE/RL Belarus service was the major and most popular 
independent voice from abroad broadcasting domestic and international 
news into a state-controlled media environment and it has been carrying 
out this mission with professionalism, courage and dedication.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in commending the 
Belorusian service of REF/RL for its persistence and professionalism on 
this 50th anniversary. The Belorusian listeners of the RFE/RL who tune 
in to its broadcasts, truly hear a ``voice of freedom''--objective 
coverage of events within and outside of Belarus and, perhaps even more 
precious, a sense of solidarity with the world communities of 
democracies and hope for freedom for themselves.

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