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They Fought for Independent Poland
2019 Special edition PISMO CODZIENNE Independence Day, November 11, 2019 FREE AGAIN! THEY FOUGHT FOR INDEPENDENT POLAND Dear Readers, The day of November 11 – the National Independence Day – is not accidentally associated with the Polish military uni- form, its symbolism and traditions. Polish soldiers on almost all World War I fronts “threw on the pyre their lives’ fate.” When the Polish occupiers were drown- ing in disasters and revolutions, white- and-red flags were fluttering on Polish streets to mark Poland’s independence. The Republic of Poland was back on the map of Europe, although this was only the beginning of the battle for its bor- ders. Józef Piłsudski in his first order to the united Polish Army shared his feeling of joy with his soldiers: “I’m taking com- mand of you, Soldiers, at the time when the heart of every Pole is beating stron- O God! Thou who from on high ger and faster, when the children of our land have seen the sun of freedom in all its Hurls thine arrows at the defenders of the nation, glory.” He never promised them any bat- We beseech Thee, through this heap of bones! tle laurels or well-merited rest, though. On the contrary – he appealed to them Let the sun shine on us, at least in death! for even greater effort in their service May the daylight shine forth from heaven’s bright portals! for Poland. And they never let him down Let us be seen - as we die! when in 1920 Poland had to defend not only its own sovereignty, but also entire Europe against flooding bolshevism. -
The EU and Belarus – a Relationship with Reservations Dr
BELARUS AND THE EU: FROM ISOLATION TOWARDS COOPERATION EDITED BY DR. HANS-GEORG WIECK AND STEPHAN MALERIUS VILNIUS 2011 UDK 327(476+4) Be-131 BELARUS AND THE EU: FROM ISOLATION TOWARDS COOPERATION Authors: Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, Dr. Vitali Silitski, Dr. Kai-Olaf Lang, Dr. Martin Koopmann, Andrei Yahorau, Dr. Svetlana Matskevich, Valeri Fadeev, Dr. Andrei Kazakevich, Dr. Mikhail Pastukhou, Leonid Kalitenya, Alexander Chubrik Editors: Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, Stephan Malerius This is a joint publication of the Centre for European Studies and the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung. This publication has received funding from the European Parliament. Sole responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publication rests with the authors. The Centre for European Studies, the Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung and the European Parliament assume no responsibility either for the information contained in the publication or its subsequent use. ISBN 978-609-95320-1-1 © 2011, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Sankt Augustin / Berlin © Front cover photo: Jan Brykczynski CONTENTS 5 | Consultancy PROJECT: BELARUS AND THE EU Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck 13 | BELARUS IN AN INTERnational CONTEXT Dr. Vitali Silitski 22 | THE EU and BELARUS – A Relationship WITH RESERvations Dr. Kai-Olaf Lang, Dr. Martin Koopmann 34 | CIVIL SOCIETY: AN analysis OF THE situation AND diRECTIONS FOR REFORM Andrei Yahorau 53 | Education IN BELARUS: REFORM AND COOPERation WITH THE EU Dr. Svetlana Matskevich 70 | State bodies, CONSTITUTIONAL REALITY AND FORMS OF RULE Valeri Fadeev 79 | JudiciaRY AND law -
Regime and Churches: What Is Therebetween? Religion In
Issue 8 (38), 2013 RELIGION IN BELARUS: LIMITED INDEPENDENCE Since the concept of secular state has become a issue of “The Bell” is dedicated to answer these standard in a Western world long time ago, the questions. position of the Church is not very much discussed while speaking about the political issues. How- In the first article Anton Radniankou analyses the ever, there are tendencies of the rising interest of three biggest confessions in Belarus and reveals the Putin’s regime on involving Russian Orthodox their connection with the regime. He states, that Church to strengthening its power. while the Orthodox Church is the most familiar Anton Radniankou is a project to the government, Protestants are the least loyal manager of the Local Foundation And we might find similar approach of the Belar- to A.Lukashenka. “Interakcia”. He also edits intellec- usian regime. A.Lukashenka calls the Orthodox tual online magazine IdeaBY. Church as the main ideologist of the statehood, In the second article Natallia Vasilevich takes while remaining a non-believer – some kind of a deeper look into relations between Orthodox Natallia Vasilevich is a politi- strange “Orthodox atheist” composition. More- Church and the regime. She finds out that there cal scientist, lawyer and theolo- over, the Russian Orthodox Church authorities are different groups among the Church branches, gian. She is director of Centre have a direct influence on the Belarusian Church, which position ranges from pro-Russian to pro- “Ecumena” and editor of website forming its shape and ideology. It is clear that Nationalist wings. All in all, it is mostly influ- “Carkwa”. -
Soviet Youth on the March: the All-Union Tours of Military Glory, 1965–87
This is a repository copy of Soviet Youth on the March: The All-Union Tours of Military Glory, 1965–87. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/96606/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Hornsby, R (2017) Soviet Youth on the March: The All-Union Tours of Military Glory, 1965–87. Journal of Contemporary History, 52 (2). pp. 418-445. ISSN 0022-0094 https://doi.org/10.1177/0022009416644666 © 2016, The Author. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Contemporary History. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Soviet Youth on the March: the All-Union Tours of Military Glory, 1965-87 ‘To the paths, friends, to the routes of military glory’1 The first train full of young people pulled into Brest station from Moscow at 10.48 on the morning of 18 September 1965. -
Through the Reign of Catherine the Great
Chapter Thirty-two Religion in Eastern Europe and the Middle East from 1648 through the Reign of Catherine the Great What in Polish and Lithuanian history is called “the Deluge” began in 1648, with the revolt of Ukraine from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Ukraine has been important in the history of religion, and especially of Judaism. The Hasidic movement began in Ukraine in the eighteenth century. A century earlier, Ukraine had been the scene of an especially dark chapter in Jewish history. In what is conventionally called “the Khmelnytsky Uprising” (1648-1654) Orthodox Christians killed many thousands of Judaeans, and those who survived were forced temporarily to flee for safety to other lands. In order to see the Khmelnytsky Uprising and the rise of Hasidism in perspective, a summary glance at earlier Ukrainian history is necessary. Early history of Ukraine: Judaism and Orthodox Christianity in Kievan Rus We have seen in Chapter 24 that from the eighth century to the 960s the steppe country above the Black Sea, the Caucasus range and the Caspian had been ruled by the khan or khagan of the Khazars. Prior to the arrival of the Khazars the steppe had been controlled consecutively by coalitions of mounted warriors named Sarmatians, Goths, Huns and Avars. Under these transient overlords the valleys of the great rivers - Bug, Dniester, Dnieper, Don, Volga - were plowed and planted by a subject population known to the historian Jordanes (ca. 550) as Antes and Sclaveni. From the latter designation comes the name, “Slavs,” and it can be assumed that the steppe villagers spoke a variety of Slavic dialects. -
The Relationship of Church and State in Belarus: Legal Regulation and Practice Alexander Vashkevich
BYU Law Review Volume 2003 | Issue 2 Article 11 5-1-2003 The Relationship of Church and State in Belarus: Legal Regulation and Practice Alexander Vashkevich Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/lawreview Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Alexander Vashkevich, The Relationship of Church and State in Belarus: Legal Regulation and Practice, 2003 BYU L. Rev. 681 (2003). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/lawreview/vol2003/iss2/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Brigham Young University Law Review at BYU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Law Review by an authorized editor of BYU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. VAS-FIN 31.05.2003 1:10 The Relationship of Church and State in Belarus: Legal Regulation and Practice Alexander Vashkevich∗ I. INTRODUCTION The freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion are fundamental human rights, and researchers who consider freedom of religion to be the foundation for all other civil rights stand on solid ground. Freedom of religion is vital in Belarus1 for two primary reasons: first, Belarus is a multi-religious country,2 and second, due to its geographic location, Belarus acts as a political and ideological bridge between Russian Orthodoxy in the East and Catholic and Protestant Christianity in the West. In fact, Belarus is one of the few ∗ Deputy Head of the Department of International Law, Faculty of International Relations, Belarusian State University; Professor, International Institute for Labour and Social Relations; Executive Director, Belarusian Center for Constitutionalism and Comparative Legal Studies, Max Planck Institute; Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of Belarus. -
Roads of War Lead to 'Victory' Hall Starting Point for Bagration
2 FOCUS The Minsk Times Thursday, July 3, 2014 Starting point for Bagration By Valentina Lavysheva The 7m tall memorial relief sculp- Memorial sculpture unveiled in Svetlogorsk ture features four figures: of Konstantin Near the village of Rakovichi, on the Rokossovsky, Georgy Zhukov, Pavel Ba- District to honour those who fought in Great 71st kilometre of the Bobruisk-Mozyr tov and Mikhail Panov — the military Patriotic War’s Operation Bagration motorway, a sculpture has been un- leaders who ensured the battle’s success. veiled, marking the spot on which bat- Soviet soldiers, partisans and seamen are tle unfolded seven decades ago. Those sculpted on the left and on the right, while who fought changed the course of the arrows behind indicate the two major at- war, helping bring about the liberation tack points. Names of villages liberated of Belarus, as well as parts of the Baltic during the campaign are inscribed at the States and Poland. It was here that the bottom. Great Patriotic War veterans at- famous military campaign of Operation tended the solemn unveiling ceremony, Bagration was launched, led by Marshall which honoured their bravery. Rokossovsky. Divisions passed over the Svetlogorsk historian Izyaslav Kotl- Bridsky Mokh marshes in June 1944, yarov initiated the idea, which has been wearing galoshes, and using drags and brought to life by Gomel sculptor Valery rafts to build log roads, to allow tanks to Kondratenko; his own father was a mili- pass and attack the Fascist occupiers. tary pilot participating in Bagration. The Great Patriotic War veteran Lev Kli- project received support from Alexan- movich, from Minsk, was among those der Lukashenko and funds of $1m from who began his war service on the marsh- the Union State budget. -
Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western Or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak
Comparative Civilizations Review Volume 78 | Number 78 Article 5 4-2018 Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, History Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Murzionak, Piotra (2018) "Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization?," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 78 : No. 78 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol78/iss78/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Comparative Civilizations Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Murzionak: Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or t Comparative Civilizations Review 41 Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak Abstract The aim of this article is to further develop the idea of the existence of a distinct Belarusian-Ukrainian/Western-Ruthenian civilization, to define its place among Western sub-civilizations, as well as to argue against the designation of Belarus and Ukraine as belonging to the Eurasian civilization. Most of the provided evidence will be related to Belarus; however, it also applies to Ukraine, the country that has had much in common with Belarus in its historical and cultural inheritance since the 9th and 10th centuries. Key words: designation, Belarus, Europe, civilization Introduction The designation of a modern country or group of countries to one or another civilization bears two aspects. -
Athe Complexity of Religious Persecution@
The Complexity of Religion in Determining Refugee Status T. Jeremy Gunn Emory University, USA This paper was prepared as a background paper for an expert discussion on religion organized as part of the follow-up to the Agenda for Protection. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of UNHCR. The paper is available online at http://www.unhcr.org/protect. “The Complexity of Religion in Determining Refugee Status” Roundtable on Religion-Based Refugee Claims United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Church World Service by T. Jeremy Gunn 8 a revised version of this paper will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Harvard Human Rights Journal October 24, 2002 Introduction....................................................................................................................................3 I. Understanding (rather than defining) Religion...........................................................................5 A. The understandable search for a legal definition ..........................................................6 B. Difficulties in the legal definition of religion ...............................................................8 1. Characteristics of definitions of religion ...........................................................8 a. Assumptions about the underlying nature of religion............................8 b. Types of definition: essentialist or polythetic ........................................8 2. Typical shortcomings in legal definitions of religion......................................10 -
Religious Freedom Violations Continue, Claims New CSW Report
briefing Belarus Religious Freedom Violations FOR PUBLIC USE JANUARY 2008 PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3YF T: 0845 456 5464 E: [email protected] W: www.csw.org.uk REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 281836 © Copyright Christian Solidarity Worldwide 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, mechanical, recording and/or otherwise without the prior written permission of Christian Solidarity Worldwide. "I look forward to the day when Belarus takes its rightful place in a European family that shares the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and that yearns for long-lasting shared peace and prosperity" José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Table of contents: 1. Executive Summary............................................................................................................................3 2. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4 3. Recommendations:.............................................................................................................................5 3.1. CSW calls on the Belarusian government to ..................................................................................5 3.2. CSW calls on the European Union to ..............................................................................................5 4. Law on Freedom -
Religion and Denominations in the Republic of Belarus
November 2011 Religion and denominations in the Republic of Belarus Multi-confessional structure of the Belarusian society has been forming over more than a thousand year history of the nation; it became an important factor that had a great influence on the formation of culture, mentality and state traditions of the present-day Belarus. The experience of our state, where more than 25 different denominations and religious movements organically coexist, is unique. The Orthodox Church has been of great 58.9 per cent of Belarusians consider importance on the Belarusian lands themselves believers. 82 per cent of since the adoption of Christianity in them are Orthodox, 12 per cent are the 10th century and today still attracts Roman Catholic and 6 per cent are a significant number of representatives of other believers. Four 58,9 % denominations. centuries later the of Belarusians are Catholic Church believers. 82 % of them are In the 16th came to the orthodox, 12 % are catholics, century the Grand Duchy E u r o p e a n of Lithuania that 6% represent other Reformation was created on the denominations resulted in the basis of the Belarusian arrival of Protestant territory. Since that time Catholicism movements, among which Lutheran made a great contribution to the and Calvinist ideas became widespread culture of Belarus and its history. on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Even earlier, at the end of Protestant religious organizations the 14th -15th centuries, Muslims and are represented by 1005 religious Jews settled in Belarus. A large number communities, 21 associations, of religious denominations appeared 22 missions and 5 religious during the 20th century. -
The Religious Situation in Belarus in 2002
The Religious Situation in Belarus in 2002 Vera Rich Vera Rich is a freelance writer. Belarus is supposed to be a secular state. President Lukashenka describes himself as a nonbeliever, but aims to reintegrate Belarus into the Soviet Union, and he sees an alliance with the Orthodox Church as useful in this respect. The latter is an exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), and its head is still Filaret of Minsk, as it was in Soviet times. Lukashenka has given the Orthodox Church many privileges, many of which are unconstitutional. For example any religious publishing house in Belarus has to have the approval of the Orthodox Church, whatever its denomination. The president has often denounced the Roman Catholic Church as a tool of NATO and anti-Belarusian. More and more restrictions are placed on foreign clergy. Now the situation is that no 'servant of a foreign religion' can go to Belarus without the permission of the government's Committee for Religious Affairs. There has been an attempt by two or three priests of the Orthodox Church to link up with the Autocephalous Belarusian Orthodox Church based in Canada. When the Eastern-Rite Catholic (Uniate) Church was crushed in 1839 many Belarusians became 'Church Poles': that is, although officially classed as Orthodox they would frequent Polish Catholic churches on Sundays. There are many more Catholics in Belarus than people who claim to be Poles. Nevertheless the Roman Catholic Church is dubbed the Polish church. The abrupt cancelling of broadcasts of the mass in January this year has caused enormous resentment.