[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 31 (Monday, March 13, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 401--URGING THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS TO CONDUCT 
  PLANNED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS MARCH 19, 2006, IN A FREE, FAIR, AND 
          TRANSPARENT MANNER AND WITH RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

  Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Biden, Mr. 
Brownback, Mr. McConnell, and Mr. Sununu) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 401

       Whereas the Government of Belarus has accepted numerous 
     specific commitments governing the conduct of elections as a 
     participating State of the Organization for Security and Co-
     operation in Europe (OSCE), including provisions of the 1990 
     Copenhagen Document;
       Whereas the Belarus parliamentary elections of 2000 failed 
     to meet international standards;
       Whereas the Belarus presidential elections of 2001 failed 
     to meet international standards;
       Whereas the local elections in Belarus in 2003 failed to 
     meet international standards;
       Whereas the Belarus parliamentary elections of 2004 failed 
     to meet international standards;
       Whereas the 2004 vote on the constitutional referendum in 
     Belarus failed to meet international standards;
       Whereas Belarus is scheduled to conduct presidential 
     elections on March 19, 2006;
       Whereas President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has 
     placed tight controls on the press, jailed opposition party 
     members, violently disrupted protests, conducted surveillance 
     of opposition candidates, and been implicated in the 
     disappearance of at least 3 opposition members and a 
     journalist;
       Whereas, on March 2, 2006, opposition candidate Alexander 
     Kazulin and 20 of his supporters were beaten and detained.
       Whereas the campaign of Alexander Milinkevich, the main 
     opposition candidate, has been subject to repeated government 
     harassment and bureaucratic obstacles to open campaigning; 
     and
       Whereas the intimidation and arrest of opposition parties 
     and candidates, including the reported March 8, 2006, arrest 
     of Vincuk Viachorka and 5 other members of Alexander 
     Milinkevich's campaign team, represents a deliberate assault 
     on the democratic process and sends a clear signal that 
     government officials in Belarus are not committed to holding 
     free and fair elections; Now, therefore, be it:
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the people of Belarus as they face the 
     dictatorship of President Lukashenko;
       (2) notes that the integration of Belarus into the Western 
     community of nations will suffer delay so long as President 
     Lukashenko prevents the development of a democratic political 
     system;
       (3) urges the Government of Belarus to ensure a free, fair, 
     and fully transparent 2006 presidential election, in 
     accordance with Organization for Security and Co-operation in 
     Europe (OSCE) standards, including unobstructed access to all 
     aspects of the election process by the OSCE Office of 
     Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), opposition 
     parties, and nongovernmental organizations;
       (4) encourages the international community, including the 
     Council of Europe and the OSCE, to continue supporting 
     democracy in Belarus, and thanks the governments and people 
     of neighboring countries such as Poland, Lithuania, and 
     Latvia for continuing to promote democracy and human rights 
     in Belarus; and
       (5) expresses its belief that tyranny in Belarus will not 
     forever endure and that the people of Belarus will one day 
     enjoy the benefits of democracy and human rights at home.

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