[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8009-8010]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DENOUNCING THE GOVERNMENT OF BELARUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, March 25, approximately 7,000 
citizens of Belarus gathered together in commemoration of the 89th 
anniversary of the short-lived Belarusian National Republic, which was 
formed on March 25, 1918, when Belarusians proclaimed their 
independence from the Russian empire. Unfortunately, only 10 months 
later, the Red Army entered Minsk, quashed this democracy and set up 
the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
  On Sunday, the brave men and women of Belarus gathered together to 
commemorate their ancestors' drive for democracy and independence 
almost 90 years ago and express their own desire to live in free and 
democratic Belarus. This group had planned to assemble in October 
Square in central Minsk to start their peaceful march towards the 
National Academy of Sciences. However, participants arrived at this 
public square to find it blocked by riot police, and trucks and busses 
were forced to split into several groups.
  One group decided to march to the Sport Palace and reassemble there. 
When they got to that destination, they were met by a large number of 
policemen warning that if they did not leave within the next 5 minutes, 
special measures would be taken against them. Several minutes later, 
the first

[[Page 8010]]

clash between the police and protesters took place, with several people 
beaten and arrested. Former presidential candidate Aleksander 
Milinkevich and his wife were among those hit and knocked to the 
ground.
  Finally, the group managed to break through and march to the National 
Academy of Sciences, where they were able to meet up with the rest of 
the group; and a rally was held. Participants included young people and 
families with children. They shouted slogans, sang songs and waived red 
and white Belarusian flags and banners which read ``Freedom to Kozulin 
and freedom to political prisoners.''
  While speaking to the crowd, former presidential candidate Aleksander 
Milinkevich declared that ``Democratic Belarus will prevail, as truth 
and God are on its side. Under the weight of its lies, this regime will 
fall, but we should give it a push with our strength, our loyalty and 
our love for the homeland. We should do this in a peaceful manner, as 
Belarusians don't like violence. We are peaceful people and have not 
shed anyone's blood. It is our blood that has been shed and our people 
are in prison.''
  Yet in spite of the peaceful nature of a crowd and Mr. Milinkevich's 
public assurances that the pro-democratic forces carried a message of 
peace, the police continued to try to break up the rally. Police set up 
loudspeakers which continually interrupted the rally speakers, warning 
the group that their actions were illegal, that they had not received 
permission to hold a rally at the National Academy of Sciences, and if 
they refused to leave, physical force would be used against them. Forty 
people were arrested on March 25th alone. Many people were also beaten 
with police batons.
  Leaders of the pro-democratic forces in Belarus, Anatoly Lebedko, 
Alexander Milinkevich, Victor Karnyenka and Valentina Polevikova, were 
among those hit by security forces' batons, with Ms. Polevikova 
suffering a head injury.
  What is additionally disconcerting is that 60 additional activists 
were arrested on March 23rd and 24th in the lead-up to the rally in a 
shocking incident. Prominent pro-democratic activist and mother of two, 
Krystsina Shatsikava, was abducted by unknown men and forced into a car 
at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23rd. She was later brought to a mental 
hospital in Mogilov, where she said that she had been tied to a bed and 
given an unknown injection at the hospital. She was finally released 
today. The young woman was a prominent activist following the 
fraudulent presidential elections in March, 2006, and had repeatedly 
declared her intention to participate in the March 25th rally.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I find it appalling that 7,000 peaceful 
protestors gathered together to commemorate an anniversary of national 
independence and freedom, only to have their voices crushed once again 
by the current regime of Aleksander Lukashenko.
  I denounce the government of Belarus for its actions against these 
peaceful protestors and demand that they release all the activists who 
were jailed for their participation during the leading up to the March 
25th rally.
  I also, along with our European colleagues, once again urge the 
government of Belarus to allow its citizens to exercise their right to 
assemble peacefully and express their views freely.

                          ____________________