Not only is the current regime ruling Belarus being censured as an international pariah, read the details of the following reports and resolutions to understand why. (It is not simply a matter of Cold War politics that appear to refuse to recognize the current state of international affairs.)Mr. Lukashenka keeps repeating that there are no human rights violations, that there is information access, and that democratic elections take place in Belarus (words versus actions). Read the details of the following to understand why no one should believe (or follow) Mr. Lukashenka. Of course, with security forces and police totalling 200,000 in a country of 10 million, in addition to no rule of law, arbitrary arrests and disappearing people who had dared to criticize, it is not difficult to figure out who and what is being "protected."
The reports referenced in the following are very clear: It is Mr. Lukashenka and his authoritarian regime that are being censured and condemned and isolated, not the Belarusian people, Belarusian culture, and Belarus as a nation. (But, who is suffering from this international isolation?) Just like every other dictator, Mr. Lukashenka works very hard to confuse who and what is being condemned. . . .
"The mission confirmed its preliminary conclusion that the 2001 presidential election process in Belarus failed to meet Council of Europe standards and OSCE commitments for democratic elections formulated in the 1990 Copenhagen Document. According to the report, the election process in Belarus was flawed by: the regime's drive to block the opposition at all costs; arbitrary changes of the electoral environment made by executive authorities; a defective legislative framework of the election; a nontransparent early voting procedure; a campaign of intimidation directed against opposition activists, domestic observation organizations, opposition, and independent media; and a smear campaign against international observers." (Source: RFE/RL Newsline, Compiled by Jan Maksymiuk; November 2, 2001)
"According to the IIFP, they registered 2 incidents during the year 2000, where the journalists were ill-treated, and 1 case of censorship. More often police would simply confiscate the computer equipment or the print-outs in newspaper offices, or even capture journalists, in the process of their participating in their professional duties. The overall number of violations, recorded by the IIFP, has reached 52 cases in 2000, as compared with only 19 in 1999."
"Another flagrant 'violation', which emerged only this year - the 'abduction' of journalists: the ORT reporter [photographer] Dmitry Zavadsky has been missing since the very day of his kidnapping, July 7, 2000. In fact, Belarus has been blacklisted as one of the number one violators of freedom of the press in the world." (Source: Charter 97, NEWS - updated on Dec. 8, 2000, Friday, 16.00)
"Responding to Mr. Wieck's report, US Ambassador David Johnson told the Council that the [October 15, 2000, parliamentary] elections 'were neither free, fair, nor democratic' and that 'the 13th Supreme Soviet, led by Chairman Semyon Sharetsky, should continue to be accepted by the international community as the legitimate parliament of Belarus.' The US ambassador praised Mr. Wieck's group for 'its groundbreaking work with NGOs in establishing a network of over 5,500 domestic election observers working at 3,500 polling stations.' 'As Ambassador Wieck mentioned, those observers substantiated that the required 50 percent threshold was not met in more than a third of the constituencies,' Mr. Johnson said. "They also established strong evidence that the nationwide turnout was about 40 percent, rather than the 60 percent claimed. And they documented 80 different methods employed to manipulate the vote count.' "
"In the runup to next year's presidential election, Mr. Johnson said, the Belarusian government needs to allow the democratic opposition access to the state-controlled media, to release political prisoners, to put an end to show trials and to reform the Electoral Code in keeping with recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights."
" 'Belarusian authorities assert that President Lukashenko enjoys the overwhelming popular support of Belarus' citizens,' Mr. Johnson said. "We are willing to put that proposition to the test. If he holds free, fair and transparent elections that allow for a real contest with the opposition, we will be the first to accept their outcome.' "
"The OSCE Permanent Council adopted no resolution on Belarus' elections. The issue is expected to be discussed on February 13, 2001 by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly." (Source: BelaPAN, No. 151; Friday, November 3, 2000; 4:15 p.m.)
"The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) delegation will recommend sending no international observers to the October 15 parliamentary elections in Belarus, the delegation head, Terry Davis, said at a final news conference in Minsk on August 4. Mr. Davis, who chairs the PACE Political Affairs Committee, said he and the other two PACE delegates, Wolfgang Behrendt and Cyril Svoboda, felt very disappointed at a visible lack of progress in Belarus in terms of adequate conditions for free and fair elections."
"According to Mr. Davis, their three-day talks with representatives of the Belarusian government, opposition, NGOs, media and trade unions showed that little has been done since their previous visit in March on each of the four conditions set by the international community (improved electoral laws, a climate of trust in society, media access for the opposition and meaningful powers for parliament)."
"The Belarusian authorities accepted few of the proposals produced by their 'sociopolitical dialogue' with NGOs, Mr. Davis added. He confirmed that PACE, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European parliament, and some other international organizations would hold a "technical conference" in Vienna on August 30 to make a final consolidated decision whether to send observers to Belarus this fall." (Source: BelaPAN, No. 16; Friday, August 4, 2000; 12:20 p.m.)
"Bearing in mind that Mr. Chigir return to prison would have put paid to any hope of establishing the climate of confidence necessary for the holding and observation of democratic elections in Belarus, the European Union notes that he remains at liberty.
However, the sentence imposed on Mr. Chigir on 19 May 2000 is designed to prevent him from playing a proper part in politics and in the coming elections in his country.
The European Union regrets this further instance of the use of legal proceedings against opposition figures for political purposes, which:
The European Union, which since Mr. Chigir’s arrest in March, 1999, has constantly denounced the political exploitation of this case, like others before it, therefore keenly hopes that the hearing of appeal by Mr. Chigir before the Supreme Court in Belarus provide an opportunity to revise the judgment against him and thus facilitate the holding of the coming elections in an acceptable manner.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta, and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration." (Source: Charter 97, NEWS - updated on May 26, 2000, at 16.40)
"They visited all regional centers and the towns of Pinsk and Soligorsk. Their talks with local BSDP activists focused on interregional cooperation and support to Belarus' democratic forces. According to Mr. Ahlin, it will be up to the Belarusian opposition to choose the form of that support. Mr. Ahlin said his party was determined to carry on the campaign it had launched in March to promote democracy and free elections in Belarus, and to draw other democratic organizations into the campaign. The Swedish Social Democratic party's Web site on Belarus can be found at www.stopluka.nu. The Swedish Social Democrats representatives left Belarus on May 21 but plan to return in June to attend a BSDP convention." (Source: BelaPAN, No. 80; Sunday, May 21, 2000; 6:25 p.m.)
"Zyanon Paznyak, Syamen Sharetsky, Maya Klyashtornaya, and Radzim Garetsky, who represented Belarus at the congress, said that their parents paid with their lives for their Belarusian identity. Communism killed 80% of Belarusian intellectuals, and about 80% of well-off Belarusian farmers were shot in Kurapaty, or sent to exile to Russian Siberia. It is simply impossible to evaluate the moral genocide -- how many people were sentenced to prison terms, exiled, expelled from universities, or sacked from work. "
"The fact that neo-communist forces try to question Stalinists repressions in Kurapaty proves that they try to conceal the real scale of the tragedy of Belarusian people. Moreover, the congress participants are convinced that today Belarus faces a real threat of reanimation of gloomy times of the 1930's with all its lies and fear. Therefore, a special statement on Belarus was adopted by the congress along with the final resolution." (Source: Radio Racja, June 20, 2000)
" 'The Lieutenant-general of the Belarusian army, against whom a criminal case was brought in neighboring Lithuania, is to assume office one of these days,' says the protest note."
"In 1991, Mr. Uskhopchik was in charge of a Soviet Army division in Lithuania, which participated in suppressing protests against the Soviet occupation. Six people were killed and several dozens wounded during the 1991 events. Criminal charges were brought against General Uskhopchik, but he fled to Belarus, where he was named as commander of an army corps in the town of Bobruisk. Now he has been promoted to the deputy defense minister. 'The appointment is not in line with the spirit of good-neighborly relations and will have negative consequences for bilateral relations,' says the note. " (Source: BelaPAN, No. 92; Tuesday, May 23, 2000; 8:20 p.m.)