[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18427-18428]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                BELARUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, it's good to come down for morning-hour, 
especially today, to hear my colleagues come down and thank staff and 
people who've been important in their lives, especially in their 
careers. Jason Altmire, what a great job he did thanking his staff. My 
friend, Russ Carnahan from across the Mississippi River, thanking 
family, wife, sons, and staff. For the work we do here, too frequently, 
many go unappreciated.
  But, Mr. Speaker, I did break the code on why we're here so late 
today. I know a lot of people want to know. We can blame Jay Pierson 
for that. Jay is retiring today. This is his last day, and we wanted to 
make sure that we got the last ounce of flesh and blood from him. So if 
the American people want to know why we're here, it's Jay Pierson's 
fault.
  Jay Pierson is Speaker Boehner's floor assistant. He obviously 
carries around a copy of Jefferson's Manual. He has been a servant of 
the House of Representatives for 34 years. He's a truly dedicated 
public servant. I thank him for his friendship and his support to this 
body and especially to me personally.

[[Page 18428]]

  Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to take time out, as I do, to speak about 
democratic movements around the world, especially in the former captive 
nations of Eastern Europe, and remember those who are jailed just 
because they want political freedoms and liberties.
  Two years ago after the brutal and bloody crackdown on peaceful 
demonstrations after the 2010 presidential elections, the human rights 
of ordinary Belarusian citizens continue to be violated by the 
Lukashenko government. One candidate who ran against Lukashenko during 
that election, Nikolai Statkevich, remains in jail. The other jailed 
candidate, Andrei Sannikov, was pardoned earlier this year and is in 
exile in Britain. Ales Byalyatski, the head of Viasna Human Rights 
Center, also remains imprisoned after being convicted to a 4\1/2\-year 
jail sentence for trumped-up charges of tax evasion. These are two of 
12 political prisoners who today remain behind bars under deplorable 
prison conditions in Belarus.
  The general human rights situation in Belarus has not improved since 
the events of 2010, despite international condemnation and sanctions on 
the regime. In its 2012 report, Freedom House ranked Belarus as ``not 
free'' in the categories of civil liberties and political rights, and 
Belarus ranked 193 out of 197 countries on Freedom House's 2012 press 
freedom index. The Reporters Without Borders press freedom index ranks 
Belarus 168 out of 179 countries.
  Laws have passed that regulate demonstrations and political 
information, stifling freedom of assembly. Independent journalists and 
political activists are under a constant threat of intimidation and 
arbitrary detention.
  Belarus held parliamentary elections on September 23, 2012. 
Unsurprisingly, the elections failed to meet international standards 
and were widely condemned as not free or fair. While some democratic 
opposition parties boycotted the elections, the candidates who did 
attempt to run were denied registration by election authorities, 
intimidated, and given unfair access to media resources. No opposition 
figures were elected to the 110-seat legislature. Official turnout was 
reported as 74.3 percent, although observers claim the turnout was 
closer to 30 percent of eligible voters.
  Belarus remains mired in its worst financial crisis since 
independence, which has put Lukashenko under increasing pressure. In 
the past month, he has reshuffled several top figures in his government 
and made some controversial economic decisions that have been met with 
criticism in the international community. This includes signing a 
presidential decree making it illegal for workers in Belarus' wood 
processing industry to quit their jobs, and announcing that Belarus 
would begin shifting its exporting business from ports in the Baltic to 
Russian ports. This will only strain the relationship between Belarus 
and its democratic neighbors and increase Russia's stronghold on key 
Belarusian markets.

                              {time}  0940

  Belarus already depends on Russia for nearly all its energy supplies. 
The United States and the European Union must remain united, impose 
economic sanctions, and have a single plan for action regarding the 
promotion of democratic process in Belarus.
  So again, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time coming down, and I wish 
everybody a Happy New Year.

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