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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 401 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 401

    Urging the Republic of Belarus to conduct planned presidential 
 elections March 19, 2006, in a free, fair, and transparent manner and 
                     with respect for human rights.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 13, 2006

   Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Biden, Mr. 
   Brownback, Mr. McConnell, and Mr. Sununu) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Urging the Republic of Belarus to conduct planned presidential 
 elections March 19, 2006, in a free, fair, and transparent manner and 
                     with respect for human rights.

Whereas the Government of Belarus has accepted numerous specific commitments 
        governing the conduct of elections as a participating State of the 
        Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including 
        provisions of the 1990 Copenhagen Document;
Whereas the Belarus parliamentary elections of 2000 failed to meet international 
        standards;
Whereas the Belarus presidential elections of 2001 failed to meet international 
        standards;
Whereas the local elections in Belarus in 2003 failed to meet international 
        standards;
Whereas the Belarus parliamentary elections of 2004 failed to meet international 
        standards;
Whereas the 2004 vote on the constitutional referendum in Belarus failed to meet 
        international standards;
Whereas Belarus is scheduled to conduct presidential elections on March 19, 
        2006;
Whereas President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has placed tight controls on 
        the press, jailed opposition party members, violently disrupted 
        protests, conducted surveillance of opposition candidates, and been 
        implicated in the disappearance of at least 3 opposition members and a 
        journalist;
Whereas, on March 2, 2006, opposition candidate Alexander Kazulin and 20 of his 
        supporters were beaten and detained;
Whereas the campaign of Alexander Milinkevich, the main opposition candidate, 
        has been subject to repeated government harassment and bureaucratic 
        obstacles to open campaigning; and
Whereas the intimidation and arrest of opposition parties and candidates, 
        including the reported March 8, 2006, arrest of Vincuk Viachorka and 5 
        other members of Alexander Milinkevich's campaign team, represents a 
        deliberate assault on the democratic process and sends a clear signal 
        that government officials in Belarus are not committed to holding free 
        and fair elections: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the people of Belarus as they face the 
        dictatorship of President Lukashenko;
            (2) notes that the integration of Belarus into the Western 
        community of nations will suffer delay so long as President 
        Lukashenko prevents the development of a democratic political 
        system;
            (3) urges the Government of Belarus to ensure a free, fair, 
        and fully transparent 2006 presidential election, in accordance 
        with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 
        (OSCE) standards, including unobstructed access to all aspects 
        of the election process by the OSCE Office of Democratic 
        Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), opposition parties, and 
        nongovernmental organizations;
            (4) encourages the international community, including the 
        Council of Europe and the OSCE, to continue supporting 
        democracy in Belarus, and thanks the governments and people of 
        neighboring countries such as Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia for 
        continuing to promote democracy and human rights in Belarus; 
        and
            (5) expresses its belief that tyranny in Belarus will not 
        forever endure and that the people of Belarus will one day 
        enjoy the benefits of democracy and human rights at home.
                                 <all>
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