[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[Pages 1176-1177]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress on Blocking Property of Certain Persons 
Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Belarus

June 19, 2006

To the Congress of the United States:

    Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b)(IEEPA), and section 301 of the 
National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631 (NEA), I hereby report that I 
have issued an Executive Order (the ``order'') blocking the property of 
persons in connection with the situation in Belarus. In that order, I 
declared a national emergency with respect to the policies and actions 
of certain individuals in Belarus, to address the unusual and 
extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the 
United States posed by the actions and circumstances involving Belarus, 
as described below. This action follows the issuance of Proclamation 
8015 of May 12, 2006, ``Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and 
Nonimmigrants of Persons Responsible for Policies or Actions That 
Threaten the Transition to Democracy in Belarus,'' in which I determined 
that it is in the interest of the United States to suspend the entry 
into the United States of members of the government of Alyaksandr 
Lukashenka and others who formulate, implement, participate in, or 
benefit from policies or actions, including electoral fraud, human 
rights abuses, and corruption, that undermine or injure democratic 
institutions or impede the transition to democracy in Belarus.
    The United States, the European Union, and other allies and partners 
around the world have repeatedly expressed support for the democratic 
aspirations of the Belarusian people and condemned the Belarusian 
government's human rights abuses, assaults on democracy, and corruption. 
The Belarusian authorities have resorted to intense repression in an 
attempt to preserve their power, including the disappearances of four 
regime critics in 1999 and 2000, which the authorities have failed to 
investigate seriously despite credible information linking top 
government officials to these acts.
    The undemocratic 2006 presidential election was only the latest 
example of the Belarusian government's disregard for the rights of its 
own citizens. Hundreds of civic and opposition activists were arrested--
and many beaten--both before and after the vote for exercising their 
rights. The authorities forcibly dispersed peaceful post-election 
demonstrations. There is simply no place in a Europe whole and free for 
a regime of this kind.
    The order also takes an important step in the fight against public 
corruption, which threatens important United States interests globally, 
including ensuring security and stability, the rule of law and core 
democratic values, advancing prosperity, and creating a

[[Page 1177]]

level playing field for lawful business activities. As noted in 
Proclamation 8015, the persistent acts of corruption by Belarusian 
government officials in the performance of public functions has played a 
significant role in frustrating the Belarusian people's aspirations for 
democracy. This order authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to block 
the assets of senior-level officials of the Government of Belarus, their 
family members, or those closely linked to such officials engaged in 
such corruption.
    Thus, pursuant to IEEPA and the NEA, I have determined that these 
actions and circumstances constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat 
to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I 
have issued the order to deal with this threat.
    The order blocks the property and interests in property in the 
United States, or in the possession or control of United States persons, 
of the persons listed in the Annex to the order, as well as of any 
person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation 
with the Secretary of State:
 <bullet>    to be responsible for, or to have participated in, actions 
            or policies that undermine democratic processes or 
            institutions in Belarus;
 <bullet>    to be responsible for, or to have participated in, human 
            rights abuses related to political repression in Belarus;
 <bullet>    to be a senior-level official, a family member of such 
            official, or a person closely linked to such an official who 
            is responsible for or has engaged in public corruption 
            related to Belarus.
    The order also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after 
consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for such blocking 
any person determined to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 
provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or 
services in support of, the activities listed above or any person listed 
in or designated pursuant to the order. I further authorized the 
Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of 
State, to designate for such blocking any person determined to be owned 
or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, 
directly or indirectly, any person listed in or designated pursuant to 
the order. The Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the 
Secretary of State, is also authorized to remove any persons from the 
Annex to the order as circumstances warrant.
    I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation 
with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, 
including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all 
powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry 
out the purposes of the order. All executive agencies are directed to 
take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the 
provisions of the order.
    The order, a copy of which is enclosed, was effective at 12:01 a.m. 
eastern daylight time on June 19, 2006.
                                                George W. Bush
The White House,
June 19, 2006.