IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 433

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the parliamentary elections

held in Belarus on October 15, 2000.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 23, 2000

Mr. GEJDENSON (for himself and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the

following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the

parliamentary elections held in Belarus on October 15, 2000.

Whereas on October 15, 2000, Aleksandr Lukashenko and

his authoritarian regime conducted an illegitimate and

undemocratic parliamentary election in an effort to further strengthen the power and control his regime exercises over the people of the Republic of Belarus;

Whereas, during the period preceding the election, the regime

of Aleksandr Lukashenko attempted to intimidate the

democratic opposition by beating, harassing, arresting,

and sentencing the opposition’s members for supporting

a boycott of the October 15 election;
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Whereas the democratic opposition in Belarus was denied fair

and equal access to state-controlled television and radio

and was instead slandered by the state-controlled media;

Whereas on September 13, 2000, Belarusian police seized

100,000 copies of a special edition of the Belarusian Free

Trade Union newspaper, Rabochy, dedicated to the democratic opposition’s efforts to promote a boycott of the October 15 election;

Whereas Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime denied seats

on the Central Election Commission to the democratic

opposition in Belarus, thereby violating his pledge to provide the democratic opposition a role in the commission;

Whereas Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime denied independent candidates opposed to his regime the right to

register as candidates in the election;

Whereas Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime dismissed

recommendations presented by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for making

the election law in Belarus consistent with OSCE standards;

Whereas, in Grodno, police loyal to Aleksandr Lukashenko

summoned voters to participate in this illegitimate election for parliament;

Whereas the last genuinely free and fair parliamentary election in Belarus took place in 1995 and from it emerged

the 13th Supreme Soviet whose democratically and constitutionally derived authorities and powers have been undercut by the authoritarian regime of Aleksandr

Lukashenko; and

Whereas on October 11, 2000, the Lukashenko regime froze

the bank accounts and seized the equipment of the inde-
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pendent publishing company, Magic, where most of the

independent newspapers in Minsk are published: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON BELARUS PAR4 LIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

5 The Congress—

6 (1) declares that—

7 (A) the period preceding the elections held

8 in Belarus on October 15, 2000, was plagued

9 by human rights abuses and a climate of fear

10 for which the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko

11 is responsible;

12 (B) such elections were conducted in the

13 absence of a democratic electoral law;

14 (C) the Lukashenko regime purposely de15 nied the democratic opposition access to state16 controlled media; and

17 (D) such elections were for seats in a par18 liament that has been deprived of its real con19 stitutional power and democratic legitimacy by

20 the Lukashenko regime;

21 (2) declares its support for the Belarus demo22 cratic opposition, commends the efforts of the oppo23 sition to boycott the illegitimate parliamentary elec-
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1 tions, and expresses the hopes of Congress that the

2 citizens of Belarus will soon benefit from true free3 dom and democracy;

4 (3) reaffirms its recognition of the 13th Su5 preme Soviet as the only democratically and con6 stitutionally legitimate legislative body of Belarus;

7 and

8 (4) notes that, as the legitimate parliament of

9 Belarus, the 13th Supreme Soviet should continue to

10 represent Belarus in the Parliamentary Assembly of

11 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

12 Europe.

13 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE DISAPPEARANCES OF

14 INDIVIDUALS AND POLITICAL DETENTIONS

15 IN BELARUS.

16 It is the sense of the Congress that the President

17 should call upon Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime

18 to—

19 (1) provide a full accounting of the disappear20 ances of individuals in Belarus, including the dis21 appearance of Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky,

22 Yuri Zakharenka, and Dmitry Zavadsky; and

23 (2) release Vladimir Kudinov, Andrei Klimov,

24 and all others imprisoned in Belarus for their polit25 ical views.
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1 SEC. 3. TRANSMITTAL OF RESOLUTION.

2 The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall

3 transmit a copy of this resolution to the President.

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