[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RIDING ROUGHSHOD OVER RIGHTS IN BELARUS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2005

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, as co-chairman of the Helsinki 
Commission and the sponsor of the Belarus Democracy Act, I remain 
deeply concerned about the violations of human rights occurring every 
day in Lukashenka's Belarus.
  During a recent news conference, the autocratic Belarusian leader 
expressed confidence in his victory in the presidential election 
scheduled for next year, rhetorically asking why should he be rigging 
this election. Given his intensified assault on civil society, his 
dismal human rights record, and penchant for rigged elections, Mr. 
Lukashenka's statements ring hollow. Yet, Lukashenka's actions against 
democratic forces, non-governmental organizations and the independent 
media belie his stated confidence regarding electoral victory.
  Last week, the lower chamber of Lukashenka's pocket parliament passed 
a law endorsing tougher new penalties for activities ``directed against 
people and public security,'' a proposal submitted to the parliament 
only days before passage. These changes to the Criminal Code increase 
penalties for participation in organizations that were liquidated or 
warned to stop their pro-democratic activities, or for the training and 
other preparations for unauthorized demonstrations or other civic 
actions.
  Mr. Speaker, to cite just one of the draconian provisions, the Code 
now gives authorities the leeway to jail an individual for up to 2 
years for ``providing a foreign country, a foreign or international 
organization with patently false information about the political, 
economic, social, military, and international situation of the Republic 
of Belarus.'' Putting aside the matter of such a provision violating 
free speech norms, if the past is any guide, it is clear who would be 
the arbiter of what constitutes ``false information.'' There can be no 
doubt that the law aims to stifle the democratic opposition, and the 
head of the KGB (yes, in Belarus it is still called the KGB) himself 
recently admitted that the reasons for the law is to discourage street 
protests during the upcoming presidential race.
  This law, while particularly blatant, is part and parcel of other 
actions designed to strengthen the regime's control and deny the 
Belarusian people any alternative voices as the presidential election 
campaign unfolds. Last month, a new law further controlling political 
parties came into force. A recent Council of Ministers decree clamps 
down on organizations that conduct public opinion polls. A Lukashenka 
decree further discriminates against independent trade unions, 
stipulating that only trade unions belonging to the pro-governmental 
federation are granted the right to premises at no cost. Yet another 
decree considerably limits students' opportunities to travel abroad.
  Meanwhile, opposition activists are routinely beaten up or detained. 
Just last week, for instance, Ales Kalita was detained and at the hands 
of the police suffered a dislocated arm for merely distributing the 
independent newspaper ``Narodna Volya''. Viktor Syritsya, a lecturer at 
Baranavichi College was fired for organizing a meeting of students with 
presidential opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich. Belarusian 
State Economic University in Minsk expelled fourth-year student 
Tatsyana Khoma because she took a brief trip to France, where she was 
elected to the executive committee of the Brussels-based National 
Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB), an umbrella organization of 44 
national student unions from 34 countries. The police beat activist 
Mikita Sasim. They detained youth activists Yauhen Afnagel and others. 
Other repressive actions include frequent arrests of activists of 
democratic youth movements such as ZUBR, a ban on worship by some 
religious congregations and other repressive actions against selected 
religious minorities, and continued harassment of members of the Union 
of Poles in Belarus.
  Moreover, there is an emerging pattern of the regime putting 
obstacles in the way of Mr. Milinkevich. Recently, a public meeting he 
held in Borbuisk was disrupted by the authorities, with participants 
being told by the authorities to go home and threatened with tax 
inspections. During a press conference, the electricity in the room was 
cut off, as well as a ``hot-line'' phone with town residents.
  Especially egregious has been the regime's intensification of the war 
against the already repressed and struggling independent media. 
Newspaper closures, suspensions, threats, and exorbitant and absurd 
libel fines, pressures on advertisers and other forms of harassment 
have become routine. Outright police confiscations of independent 
newspapers are also not uncommon. A seemingly more subtle tactic, 
implemented just a few weeks ago, involved the decision by Belarus' 
monopoly state postal service to stop delivery to subscribers of a 
dozen private periodicals. Meanwhile, the suspicious murder in 2004 of 
journalist Veronika Charkasova has not been resolved. Authorities have 
refused to open a criminal investigation into journalist Vasil 
Hrodnikau's death. Lukashenka himself recently admitted to Russian 
journalists that his regime applies very serious pressure on the media, 
somewhat incongruously adding that ``this does not mean I am crushing 
them.''

  Mr. Speaker, what I have cited is by no means an exhaustive list of 
abuses perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime, merely a sampling of the 
types of repressive actions employed on a daily basis by Europe's last 
dictator. As Helsinki Commission Co-Chair, I will continue to monitor 
closely and speak out forcefully regarding these and other violations 
of Belarus' freely undertaken OSCE commitments. I urge the Bush 
Administration to step up efforts to break the Lukashenka regime's near 
monopoly over the country's information space and provide timely 
assistance to pro-democracy forces in Belarus.
  It is clear that Mr. Lukashenka and his minions are laying the 
groundwork for yet another un-free and unfair election--similar to the 
2001 presidential elections and the 2000 and 2004 parliamentary 
elections--that will fall far short of OSCE standards. Lukashenka is 
once again showing that, despite his confident rhetoric, he fears his 
own people and profoundly fails to respect their dignity as citizens 
and as human beings.

                          ____________________