www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: • Svoboda daily newspaper honored in Philadelphia — page 4. • “A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do,” a special pullout • section on resorts, camps, festivals, courses, travel — pages 9-16. HE KRAINI A N EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXV No. 18 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 4, 1997 $1.25/$2 in Ukraine Belarus journalists criticize U.S. aid to Ukraine is threatened L u k a s h e n k a ’s media crackdown by reports of rampant corruption by Yarema A. Bachynsky of 200 Miensk youth at which 150 parti- by Michael Sawkiw Jr. (Gala Radio – Ukraine), Marta Fedoriw Special to The Ukrainian Weekly cipants, as well as 12 journalists, were Ukrainian National Information Service (Grand Hotel – Ukraine), Askold S. detained. Many of the rally participants Lozynskyj (Ukrainian Congress NEW YORK – The very existence of an were sentenced to 10-day jail terms, WASHINGTON — Members of Committee of America, Inc.) and David independent media is inimical to the author- which was not surprising, according to Congress and public witnesses were Sweere (Kyiv Atlantic – Ukraine). itarian government of Belarusian President Ms. Babak, given the Lukashenka gov- afforded the opportunity to testify on Testimony centered on recent news Alyaksandr Lukashenka. This was the con- ernment’s propensity for administrative Thursday, April 24, before the Foreign reports about corruption in Ukraine and clusion of a press briefing at The detention. Operations Subcommittee of the the low levels of foreign investment in Committee To Protect Journalists on April The fact that the 12 journalists, all of Committee on Appropriations of the that country. As the first witness to testi- 16. At the afternoon event, the Lukashenka whom possessed and showed accredita- House of Representatives. Sonny fy, Mr. Iwanciw highlighted the impor- regime’s moves to impose a virtual block- tion to authorities, were detained for Callahan (R-Ala.), chairman of the sub- tance of maintaining foreign assistance to ade on non-governmental media and its reporting on breaking news, is a sign of committee, allowed five minutes of testi- Ukraine as a strategic partner of the U.S. quashing of dissenting voices within official ever-increasing pressure on those mony from each of the participants on He mentioned the unbalanced nature of information structures were subjected to reporters who cover events not officially the need for sustained or increased assis- articles appearing in the major press heavy criticism by four representatives of sanctioned by the government, she said. tance to specific programs or areas of the which emphasize negative aspects of the the Belarusian independent media. One of the 12, Svitlana Kurts, was world. business climate in Ukraine while totally Zhanna Litvina, the Miensk bureau detained for two days without cause, and The witnesses on Ukrainian issues disregarding advances in macro-econom- chief for Radio Liberty and editor-in- subjected to interrogation and harassment were: Eugene M. Iwanciw (Ukrainian chief of the recently closed Radio 101.2 while in jail. She was later released, National Association), Joseph Lemire (Continued on page 4) FM, stated that Mr. Lukashenka’s impo- though no formal explanation for her sition of severe curbs on the independent detention was given. press and broadcast media, both Belarusian and foreign, has created a Official media very conservative Observation aircraft from Ukraine “nation of zombies” and that the average Oleh Hruzdilovych, a political observ- citizen in her country is not able to objec- er for the independent daily Svaboda, a in U.S. under Open Skies provisions tively judge the performance of Mr. newspaper recently subjected to harass- Lukashenka’s government precisely due ment by the state tax authorities and sued by R.L. Chomiak designed AN-30, two-engine turboprop, to the information blockade and censor- last September by the State Committee Special to The Ukrainian Weekly the size of a plane flown by a respectable ship measures imposed since the presi- for the Press for allegedly libeling Mr. American feeder airline, and which can dent’s election in 1994. Lukashenka and other officials, noted WASHINGTON – Ukraine can. Ukraine stay up in the air for six hours before refu- As an example of the effect that a lack that an important reason for the success has just shown it can do everything the “big eling on the ground. of information choices has had on the of Mr. Lukashenka’s monopolization of powers” can, when it comes to inspecting But the Antonov named “Blakytna way people vote, Ms. Litvina cited the state-run media is the near-total lack of each other’s territory for treaty violations, Stezha” (Azure Observation Squad) with a results of the November 1996 referen- exposure of government journalists, and the U.S. applauded. gold trident on its tail, had flown over 13 of dum in which, among other things, a especially at the regional and local levels, On the flight line of Washington’s the midwestern and southern American majority of Belarusians cast their ballots to their colleagues abroad. Most of his Dulles Airport April 23 it was open house states, including Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia against requiring transparency of govern- colleagues in the government-run media, for two aircraft: a converted Boeing 707 and Florida, and photographed what it ment budgets and against popular elec- especially print outlets, have never trav- with four jet engines, U.S. Air Force mark- w a n t e d . tion of local government officials, allow- eled beyond Belarus and have never had ings and the capability to stay aloft for 40 ing instead for their appointment by Mr. the opportunity to cover international or hours and refuel in mid-air; and a Kyiv- (Continued on page 22) Lukashenka’s regime. even national (referring to Soviet) events Commenting on how the Lukashenka from anything other than the narrowest government has cracked down on foreign and most localized perspectives, said Mr. journalists, Ms. Litvina cited the case of Hruzdilovych. Aleksandr Stupnikov, former Miensk On the rare occasion, continued Mr. bureau chief for NTV, the leading inde- Hruzdilovych, when a regional newspa- pendent Russian television network. Mr. per publishes articles even vaguely criti- Stupnikov, a Russian citizen, was cal of Mr. Lukashenka and government expelled from Belarus in late March after policies, as the Brest Kuryier allegedly the Belarusian government on March 24 did on October 30, 1996, it is subject to withdrew his accreditation after he cov- pressure. In that newspaper’s case, the ered the unsanctioned demonstrations by regional procurator of the southwestern thousands of Miensk youth against the Belarusian city informed the publication new Treaty on The Union of Belarus and that it was violating the press law for the Russian Federation. “inciting social intolerance” (Article 5 of According to Ms. Litvina, Mr. the Law on the Press of the Republic of Stupnikov reported that hundreds of peo- Belarus). Three such violations can lead ple, among them many university stu- to a newspaper’s closing. dents, had been arrested, tried and sen- tenced to short jail terms, without benefit Independent publications hard hit of any due process, for taking part in Alyaksandr Mykhalchuk, deputy chief such demonstrations. His reports includ- editor of Belorusskaya Gazeta, formerly ed footage of demonstrators being with Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta, was clubbed and otherwise brutalized by out- very brief in his presentation but empha- of-control OMON (special forces) riot sized the enormous pressure that private, police. non-government newspapers come under Chiming in with Ms. Litvina’s criti- R.L. Chomiak in Belarus today. Gen.-Maj. Mykola Honcharenko (center), chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces cism, Olha Babak, editor and announcer He asked those gathered to picture at the since-closed Radio 101.2 FM, Verification Center, discusses the Open Skies overflight in the United States by the Ukrainian “Blakytna Stezha” airplane. talked of a March 14 unsanctioned rally (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MAY 4, 1997 No. 18 Harvard economist Sachs warns Ukraine to get moving on budget Chornobyl disaster remembered sified economic cooperation and cultural by Marta Kolomayets for the country. I don’t want to be a contacts. The regions are to be mentioned prophet of doom, but even worse things, KYIV — On April 26, Ukraine, Belarus KYIV — Ukraine’s economic crisis in the pending Bilateral Treaty on believe it or not, can happen in an econo- and the Russian Federation marked the Friendship and Cooperation Between will worsen if it does not adopt a budget my like this,” he said. 11th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster and an economic reform plan within the Ukraine and Romania. (RFE/RL Newsline) Given the fact that parliamentary elec- with both official and unofficial cere- next few weeks, cautioned a Western tions are scheduled for March of next monies. In Ukraine, ceremonies remember- Moscow stands firm on NATO expansion... economist who currently serves as a con- year and campaigning may begin as early ing those who died in the explosion and its sultant to the Ukrainian government. as October of this year, it is of the utmost aftermath were held at the Chornobyl site BRUSSELS — NATO diplomats say During a press conference on April 19, importance to start moving on economic and in Kyiv, local media reported. In “very little progress” has been made on the Harvard economist Jeffrey Sachs said, “It is reform legislation, he noted, explaining Miensk, more than 20,000 people took part military points of a charter between Russia quite critical that the budget and these that the political timetable is becoming in a march to mark the anniversary and to and NATO, Agence France Presse report- reform proposals be considered in the near- more and more complicated every day.