REVIEW-CHRONICLE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS IN 1999 2 REVIEW-CHRONICLE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS IN 1999 INTRODUCTION: GENERAL CONCLUSIONS The year of 1999 was the last year of Alexander Lukashenka’s original mandate. In 1994 having used the machinery of democratic procedure he was elected president of the Republic of Belarus for five years term. But in 1996 A.Lukashenka conducted illegal, non-free and unfair referendum and by it prolonged his mandate to seven years. Constitutional Court’s judges and deputies of the Supreme Soviet that resisted to A.Lukashenka’s dictatorial intentions were dismissed. Thus provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus were broken. Attempt to conduct presidential elections done by the legitimate Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation was supported by the most influential opposition parties and movements. But Belarusan authorities did their best to prevent opposition from succeeding in presidential elections and subjected people involved in election campaign to different kinds of repressions. Regime didn’t balk at anything in the struggle with its opponents. Detentions and arrests, persecutions of its organisers and participants, warnings, penalties and imprisonment followed every opposition-organised action… Yet the year of 1999 became a year of mass actions of protest of Belarusan people against a union with Russia imposed by the authorities to the people. In 1999 the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus made an attempt to arrange talks between Belarusan authorities and opposition. This year will go down to history as a year when some of prominent politicians and fighters against the regime disappeared, when unprecedented number of criminal proceedings against opposition leaders and participants of mass actions of protest was instituted... The Human Rights Centre “Viasna” puts that in the year of 1999 the situation with human rights in the country has worsened in comparison with last year. Within this year the HRC “Viasna” again and again recorded numerous human rights violations by Lukashenka’s regime. As a result of this work appeared this “Chronicle-Review…” REVIEW-CHRONICLE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS IN 1999 3 PERSECUTION OF THE ORGANISERS AND PARTICIPANTS OF THE OPPOSITION MASS ACTIONS OF PROTEST The right to peaceful assembly and association in Belarus is limited by A.Lukashenka’s regime with the help of different kinds of laws, edicts and decrees. The law “About meetings, rallies, demonstrations and pickets” is standing out among them. It strictly regulates conduction of mass actions and sets discrimination measures against organisers and participants of the opposition mass actions of protest. On 9 September 1999 A.Lukashenka signed a decree №36 “About some preventive measures against emergency situations during mass actions.” Formal cause for this decree was the tragedy on Nyamiga on May 30 in Minsk. However, in fact it was directed against opposition- organised actions. Under this decree the conduction of mass actions is forbidden (except for official and state actions) nearer than 200 meters from metro stations; more strict requirements to the organisers of mass actions and to the officials involved into authorisation of this actions were introduced by this decree. When this decree entered into force the authorities picked out a “reservation” for the opposition-organised actions – remote from transport routes Bangalor Square. All opposition-organised actions were held under authorities’ strict supervision. For this purposes the authorities used not only the militia but also special military troops, security services and KGB officers in civil. Meetings, rallies and pickets were recorded. It was mainly the militia, which set barrage cordons on the way of peaceful rallies and by force, took out the marchers from the ranks, provoked clashes between the marchers and militiamen. It should be pointed out that this year the courts have passed maximum possible sentences to participants and organisers of mass actions. Thus maximum possible penalties and detentions were passed. On January 11, a trial over Valery Shchukin – prominent journalist and a deputy of the 13th Supreme Soviet – on the administrative case was held in the Minsk Savetski district court. V.Shchukin was charged with participation in the action, which took place on December 25 and was aimed against Belarusan-Russian integration. The detention report says that militiamen asked V.Shchukin to leave the road but V.Shchukin categorically refused and started crying: "Long live Belarus!" On the trial V.Shchukin made a speech in which he accused the militiamen of breaking 8 criminal and 6 administrative articles while they carried out a detention of him. But Judge A.Gancharyk found V.Shchukin guilty and sentenced him to 10 days in administrative detention. On January 17, the Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Gramada” staged a march and a meeting against integration with Russia. The applicants of this action had planned 4 REVIEW-CHRONICLE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS IN 1999 to march from Yakub Kolas Square to Kastrychnitskaya Square and to hold there a meeting. The Minsk City Executive Committee didn’t permit to stage a meeting in Kastrychnitskaya Square referring to the decision on “a particular position” of this Square (it’s situated nest to the Presidential Administration). Thus the meting of Social Democrats with participation of other democratic forces took place in Paryzhskaya Kamuna Square. On January 18, secretary of the Board of the BPF Anatol Kryvarot was detained during the picket, staged by the Belarusan Popular Front “Adradzhennie” for participation in the meeting on December 6 dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He had been identified on the pictures, taken by special services while taking part in the above-mentioned meeting. Judge Anatol Barysionak warned A.Kryvarot. On January 21, trials over activists of the Belarusan Popular Front “Adradzhennie” (Mikalai Antsypovich – senior lecture of the Philosophy chair, Belarus’ State Politechnical Academy, and Genadz Bankevich – a pensioner) were held in Slutsk, Minsk region. They were charged with participation in an unauthorised rally on November 29 when the 78th anniversary of the Slutsk anti-Bolshevik rising was marked. The buses from Minsk were booked on the name of Mikalai Antsypovich and it was the main ground for Judge S.Pastukhova to come to the conclusion that he was an initiator of this action. Traditionally only the militiamen were called witnesses. Pensioner Genadz Bankevich was in hospital and that’s why he couldn’t come to the trial but nevertheless judge S.Pastukhova fined him 40 million rouble. Mikalai Antsypovich was fined 20 million roubles. From January 21 to January 23, the Belarusan Popular Front “Adradzhennie” staged a number of pickets (all in all more than 60) in the capital city and other Belarusan towns against Belarus’ incorporation by Russian Federation, and against worsening living conditions and abrupt poverty of the population. The actions were dedicated to the planned on January 21 sitting of the Parliamentarian Meeting of Belarusan-Russian Union. On January 22, a meeting and a march against signing of the next in turn papers on Belarusan-Russian union sate were held in Minsk. This signing is nothing but violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. The action was organised by the BPF with participation of all democratic forces of the country. At the end of the meeting the militiamen of the Central Administration of Internal Affairs tried to detain Lubow Luniova REVIEW-CHRONICLE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BELARUS IN 1999 5 – lawyer of public reception of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna-96”, but failed. They wanted to draw up a charge sheet for L.Luniova’s participation in an unauthorised meeting on December 6, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On January 23, unauthorised picketing against Belarus’ incorporation by Russian Federation was staged in the Central Square of Barysaw, Minsk region. It was organised by local organisations of the BPF and Belarusan Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Gramada.” People stood with national white-red-white flags and slogans “Hands off Belarus!” and “I love Belarus!” Alexander Abramovich (chairman of lacal organisation of the BSDP “Narodnaya Gramada”) – one of the organisers of that picketing was taken to a charge office. They drew up a charge sheet for breaking article 167 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Belarus. On January 23, a picketing against Belarus’s incorporation by Russian Federation took place in Pinsk, Gomel region. City Executive Committee’s permission to conduct picketing was received with two days delay. A worker Yuras Salavey was called to the Pinsk City Administration of Internal Affairs. They drew up a report about the breaking of a decision made by the City Executive Committee. Then Y.Salavey was brought to the city court. The judge Leshchanka reported that Y.Salavey could be sentenced to 15 days in detention or fined from 100 minimum wages to 250 minimum ones. On January 27, independent and free trade unions of workers and entrepreneurs of different enterprises staged a meeting in Minsk. That day the two main markets of the capital city (Kamarowsky and one based on stadium “Dynamo”) stopped their work to express their solidarity with the trade Unions. The action started at 16.00. Marchers started to converge near the Palace of Sports from different city districts. Approximately 12.000 people took part in the action. At the end of the meeting they adopted a resolution. The participants of the action demand our President and the Government to execute the resolution of the Republican Congress of the representatives of workers and trade unions from 21 May 1998. It says “to stop inflation and price rising, to consider the wages to be the first in turn payment, to cut off taxes, to provide workers and trade unions with access to State mass media.