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106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 153

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the parliamentary elections

held in Belarus on October 15, 2000, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 19 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. CAMPBELL, and Mr. HELMS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

Foreign Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the parliamentary elections held in Belarus on October 15,

2000, and for other purposes.

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 authoritarian

regime exercises over the people of the Republic of

Belarus;

Whereas during the time preceding this election the regime

of Aleksandr Lukashenko attempted to intimidate the

democratic opposition by beating, harassing, arresting,

and sentencing its members for supporting a boycott of
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the October 15 election even though Belarus does not

contain a legal ban on efforts to boycott elections;

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 the

democratic opposition in Belarus seats on the Central

Election Commission, thereby violating his own pledge to

provide the democratic opposition a role in this Commission;

Whereas Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime denied the

vast majority of independent candidates opposed to his

regime the right to register as candidates in this 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 un-
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dercut by the authoritarian regime of Aleksandr

Lukashenko; and

Whereas on October 11, the Lukashenko regime froze the

bank accounts and seized the equipment of the independent publishing company, Magic, where most of the

independent newspapers in Minsk are published: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring),

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

5 Congress hereby—

6 (1) declares that—

7 (A) the period preceding the elections held

8 in Belarus held on October 15, 2000, was

9 plagued by continued human rights abuses and

10 a climate of fear for which the regime of Alek11 sandr Lukashenko is responsible;

12 (B) these 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) these elections were for seats in a par18 liament that lacks real constitutional power and

19 democratic legitimacy;
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1 (2) declares its support for the Belarus’ demo2 cratic opposition, commends the efforts of the oppo3 sition to boycott these illegitimate parliamentary

4 elections, and expresses the hopes of Congress that

5 the citizens of Belarus will soon benefit from true

6 freedom and democracy;

7 (3) reaffirms its recognition of the 13th Su8 preme Soviet as the sole and democratically and con9 stitutionally legitimate legislative body of Belarus;

10 and

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

12 Belarus, the 13th Supreme Soviet should continue to

13 represent Belarus in the Parliamentary Assembly of

14 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

15 Europe.

16 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DISAPPEARANCES OF IN17 DIVIDUALS AND POLITICAL DETENTIONS IN

18 BELARUS.

19 It is the sense of Congress that the President should

20 call upon Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime to—

21 (1) provide a full accounting of the disappear22 ances of individuals in that country, including the

23 disappearance of Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly

24 Krasovsky, Yuri Zakharenka, and Dmitry Zavadsky;

25 and
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1 (2) release Vladimir Kudinov, Andrei Klimov,

2 and all others imprisoned in Belarus for their polit3 ical views.

4 SEC. 3. TRANSMITTAL OF RESOLUTION.

5 The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy

6 of this resolution to the President.

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