Freedom for Belarus!
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Testimony :: Stephen Nix
Testimony :: Stephen Nix Regional Program Director, Eurasia - International Republican Institute Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Commission today. We are on the eve of a presidential election in Belarus which holds vital importance for the people of Belarus. The government of the Republic of Belarus has the inherit mandate to hold elections which will ultimately voice the will of its people. Sadly, the government of Belarus has a track record of denying this responsibility to its people, its constitution, and the international community. Today, the citizens of Belarus are facing a nominal election in which their inherit right to choose their future will not be granted. The future of democracy in Belarus is of strategic importance; not only to its people, but to the success of the longevity of democracy in all the former Soviet republics. As we have witnessed in Georgia and Ukraine, it is inevitable that the time will come when the people stand up and demand their rightful place among their fellow citizens of democratic nations. How many more people must be imprisoned or fined or crushed before this time comes in Belarus? Mr. Chairman, the situation in Belarus is dire, but the beacon of hope in Belarus is shining. In the midst of repeated human rights violations and continual repression of freedoms, a coalition of pro-democratic activists has emerged and united to offer a voice for the oppressed. The courage, unselfishness and determination of this coalition are truly admirable. It is vitally important that the United States and Europe remain committed to their support of this democratic coalition; not only in the run up to the election, but post-election as well. -
English Version of This Report Is the Only Official Document
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights REPUBLIC OF BELARUS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 23 September 2012 OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report Warsaw 14 December 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................1 II. INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................3 III. POLITICAL BACKGROUND.........................................................................................3 IV. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTORAL SYSTEM..............................................4 V. ELECTION ADMINISTRATION ...................................................................................5 A. CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION.....................................................................................6 B. DISTRICT AND PRECINCT ELECTION COMMISSIONS..........................................................7 VI. VOTER REGISTRATION ...............................................................................................7 VII. CANDIDATE REGISTRATION .....................................................................................8 VIII. ELECTION CAMPAIGN ...............................................................................................10 A. CAMPAIGN ENVIRONMENT................................................................................................10 B. CAMPAIGN FINANCE..........................................................................................................12 -
BELARUS Restrictions on the Political and Civil Rights of Citizens Following the 2010 Presidential Election
BELARUS Restrictions on the Political and Civil Rights of Citizens Following the 2010 Presidential Election of person. Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6: Everyone has the right to recognition spirit of brotherhood. Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimi- without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nation to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8: Everyone has the right to an effective rem- basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person edy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. by law. Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security June 2011 564a Uladz Hrydzin © This report has been produced with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). -
European Parliament
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2004 2009 Session document 13.9.2004 B6-0040/2004 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION further to the Commission statement pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure by Elisabeth Schroedter, Joost Lagendijk and Marie Anne Isler Béguin on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group on the situation in Belarus RE\541342EN.doc PE 347.454 EN EN B6-0040/2004 European Parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus The European Parliament, – having regard to its previous resolutions, – having regard to the European Neighbourhood Policy, which aims to extend peace and stability to countries bordering the EU, with a view to closer cooperation and to sharing the values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and civil liberties, – having regard to the OSCE’s 1999 Istanbul summit declaration, – having regard to the declaration by the Dutch Presidency on behalf of the EU on the revoking of the licence of the European University in Minsk by the Belarusian authorities, – having regard to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure, A. having regard to the forthcoming elections of the lower chamber of the Parliament in Belarus, which will take place on 17 October, B. whereas alongside the parliamentary elections a referendum will be held on allowing President Alexander Lukashenko to stand again for the presidency and amending the constitution to remove the limit of two terms for presidents, C. pointing out that, according to international observers, the previous elections fell short in a number of areas including pluralistic representation of election bodies, restrictive procedures for the election of candidates and excessive regulation of campaign activities, and that there is a real fear that the voting will not be conducted fairly this time either, D. -
Country Profile – Belarus
Legal Aid Board, Ireland Refugee Documentation Centre 9th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Organised by the Refugee Documentation Centre, Ireland and UNHCR Dublin, 26-27 May 2004 COUNTRY PROFILE – BELARUS The views and opinions stated in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizers of the workshop. This paper is not, and does not purport to be, fully exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Belarus Location: Eastern Europe, east of Poland Area: 80,155 square miles/207,600 sq km Capital: Minsk Independence: 25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) Constitution: 15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits Population: 10,293,011 (July 2006 est.) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Ethnic Groups: Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census) Languages: Belarusian, Russian, other Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) Head of state Chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) Head of government: Prime Minister Sergei SIDORSKY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) Political parties and leaders 1 9th COI Seminar Organised by the RDC - Ireland and UNHCR -
Republic of Belarus
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights REPUBLIC OF BELARUS EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 17 November 2019 ODIHR NEEDS ASSESSMENT MISSION REPORT 26 – 30 August 2019 Warsaw 6 September 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................ 1 III. FINDINGS ........................................................................................................... 3 A. BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................3 B. ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK ...........................................................4 C. ELECTION ADMINISTRATION .........................................................................................5 D. VOTER REGISTRATION ..................................................................................................7 E. CANDIDATE REGISTRATION ..........................................................................................7 F. ELECTION CAMPAIGN ....................................................................................................8 G. CAMPAIGN FINANCE ......................................................................................................9 H. MEDIA ..........................................................................................................................10 I. COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS ........................................................................................11 -
Belarus by Alexei Pikulik, Dzianis Melyantsou Et Al
Belarus by Alexei Pikulik, Dzianis Melyantsou et al. Capital: Minsk Population: 9.5 million GNI/capita, PPP: US$14,460 Source: The data above are drawn from the World Bank’sWorld Development Indicators 2013. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Electoral Process 6.75 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 6.75 6.75 7.00 7.00 7.00 Civil Society 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.50 6.50 6.25 6.00 6.00 6.25 6.50 Independent Media 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.50 6.75 6.75 6.75 Governance* 6.50 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a National Democratic Governance n/a 6.75 7.00 7.00 7.00 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 Local Democratic Governance n/a 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 Judicial Framework and Independence 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 7.00 7.00 Corruption 5.75 6.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.25 6.25 Democracy Score 6.54 6.64 6.71 6.68 6.71 6.57 6.50 6.57 6.68 6.71 * Starting with the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects. -
Lebedka Statement.Pdf
Anatoly Lebedka Chair of the opposition United Civic Party and Co-chair of the United Democratic Forces (UDF) It is a great honor for me to speak in the US Congress. The hearings today are a direct testimony of the fact that Belarus is still on the international agenda. I represent the team of political optimists in Belarus. Possibly, pessimists’ appraisals will be more accurate, but I am convinced that only optimists will be able to bring changes to Belarus. For the sake of objectivity, I suggest considering all arguments and perspectives. I will start with the existing risks and threats 1. Belarus continues to remain a test laboratory for production and distribution of a neo- authoritarian ideology of “lukashism” in Eurasia, and Lukashenka remains the leader of revanche forces in the former USSR. This situation is a central underestimation of the situation in Belarus by the international community. 2. The authorities continue to stake their power on repression and violent solutions to problems. We have clearly declared that UDF is in support of dialog with the authorities. But we cannot shake a hand which is balled into a fist. We cannot shake a hand that holds the keys to the prison cells of Alexander Kazulin, Andrei Klimau, Dzmitry Dashkevich and other political prisoners. We maintain that a real dialog about concrete issues of political prisoners and free and fair elections is substituted for never ending “talks.” There is a danger that the international community will be stuck in these conversations, which have neither time limit nor agenda. 3. The regime demonstrates certain signs of mimicry. -
Belarus by Vitali Silitski
Belarus by Vitali Silitski Capital: Minsk Population: 9.7 million GNI/capita: US$9,700 The social data above was taken from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Transition Report 2007: People in Transition, and the economic data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators 2008. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Electoral Process 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 Civil Society 6.00 6.50 6.25 6.50 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.50 6.50 Independent Media 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 Governance* 6.25 6.25 6.50 6.50 6.50 n/a n/a n/a n/a National Democratic 7.00 Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6.75 7.00 7.00 Local Democratic 6.75 Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6.50 6.50 6.50 Judicial Framework 6.75 and Independence 6.50 6.757 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 Corruption 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.50 5.75 6.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 Democracy Score 6.25 6.38 6.38 6.46 6.54 6.64 6.71 6.68 6.71 * With the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects. -
INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION Republic of Belarus – Parliamentary Elections, 23 September 2012
INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION Republic of Belarus – Parliamentary Elections, 23 September 2012 STATEMENT OF PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Minsk, 24 September 2012 – This Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions is the result of a common endeavour involving the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). Matteo Mecacci (Italy), Head of the OSCE PA Delegation, was appointed by the OSCE Chairperson-in- Office as Special Co-ordinator to lead the short-term observer mission. Antonio Milošoski (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) is the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM), deployed from 22 August 2012. The assessment was made to determine whether the elections complied with OSCE commitments, as well as with national legislation. This statement of preliminary findings and conclusions is delivered prior to the completion of the election process. The final assessment of the elections will depend, on part, on the conduct of the remaining stages of the election process, including the tabulation and announcement of results, and the handling of possible post-election day complaints or appeals. The OSCE/ODIHR will issue a comprehensive final report, including recommendations for potential improvements, some eight weeks after the completion of the election process. The OSCE PA will present its report at its Standing Committee meeting in Tirana on 6 October. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS In the 23 September parliamentary elections, many OSCE commitments including citizens’ rights to associate, to stand as candidates, and to express themselves freely were not respected, despite some improvements to the electoral law. While there was an increase in the number of candidates put forward by parties, prominent political figures who might have played a role in this contest remained imprisoned or were not eligible to register due to their criminal record. -
Parties & Partners
Member Parties Quick overview Albania Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë | PDSH www.pd.al Armenia Republican Party of Armenia - REP P hhk.am Heritage Party Armenia - HER www.heritage.am Austria Die neue Volkspartei - ÖVP www.oevp.at 1/18 Member Parties Quick overview Belarus United Civic Party of Belarus - UCP ucpb.info Belarusian Christian Democracy - BCD The Movement For Freedom - MFF pyx.by/eng Belgium Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams | CD&V www.cdenv.be Centre Démocrate Humaniste | cdH www.lecdh.be 2/18 Member Parties Quick overview Bosnia and Herzegovina Stranka Demokratske Akcije - SDA www.sda.ba Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and www.hdzbih.org Herzegovina - HDZ HDZ 1990 hdz1990.org Partija Demokratskog Progresa - PDP pdp.rs.ba 3/18 Member Parties Quick overview Bulgaria GERB - Citizens for European Development of www.gerb.bg Bulgaria Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria www.dsb.bg Bulgaria of the Citizens Movement - BCM www.grajdani.bg Union of Democratic Forces - UDF www.sds.bg Croatia Croatian Democratic Union - HDZ www.hdz.hr Cyprus Democratic Rally of Cyprus www.disy.org.cy 4/18 Member Parties Quick overview Czechia TOP 09 www.top09.cz KDU-CSL www.kdu.cz Denmark Det Konservative Folkeparti www.konservative.dk KristenDemokraterne | KD www.kd.dk Estonia Isamaa www.isamaa.ee 5/18 Member Parties Quick overview Finland Kansallinen Kokoomus | KOK www.kokoomus.fi Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit - SK(KD) www.kd.fi France Les Républicains www.republicains.fr Georgia United National Movement - UNM www.unm.ge European Georgia – Movement for -
Białoruś 2006
O Ś R O D E K S T U D I Ó W W SCHODNICH Centre for Eastern Studies REPORT Belarus 2006 WarsaW january 2007 Belarus 2006 rafał sadowski executive summary / 2 introduction / 3 i. the internal situation / 4 1. The ruling camp / 4 1.1. The government and the presidential election 1.2. Political divisions in the ruling group 2. The Opposition / 7 3. The society / 10 4. The economic situation / 12 II. international relations / 15 1. relations between Belarus and russia / 15 2. The Western stance on Belarus / 19 summary / 22 appendix 1 - List of abbreviations / 23 appendix 2 - The key groups in the governing team / 23 appendix 3 - Macroeconomic data / 23 BaCk executive summary 1. After the presidential election in March 2006, Alyaksandr Lukashenka strengthened his po- sition on the internal political scene. He managed to keep full control over the ruling camp and to prevent any possible tendencies for it to disintegrate. Due to internal divisions and the lack of a clear strategy of action, the opposition has failed to consolidate the popularity it had gained before the election. Currently, the dominant mood among the public is that of passive acceptan- ce of the situation. As a result, no internal factors really threaten President Lukashenka’s rule. 2. Developing Belarus’ relations with Russia is the greatest political challenge faced by the Belaru- sian president. Moscow has been insistently pressing Belarus to comply with its economic and po- litical demands (concerning energy co-operation and the integration of the two states respectively). If put into practice, these demands would seriously undermine Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s political position, and limit Belarus’ independence in Russia’s favour.