III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 75

Expressing the strong opposition of Congress to the continued egregious

violations of human rights and the lack of progress toward the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Belarus and calling on President Alexander Lukashenka to engage in negotiations with the representatives of the opposition and to restore the constitutional rights of the

Belarusian people.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 17, 1999

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

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the strong opposition of Congress to the continued egregious violations of human rights and the lack

of progress toward the establishment of democracy and

the rule of law in Belarus and calling on President

Alexander Lukashenka to engage in negotiations with

the representatives of the opposition and to restore the

constitutional rights of the Belarusian people.

Whereas the United States has a vital interest in the promotion of democracy abroad and supports democracy and

economic development in Belarus;

Whereas in the Fall of 1996, President Lukashenka devised

a controversial referendum to impose a new constitution
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•SCON 75 IS

on Belarus and abolish the Parliament, replacing it with

a rubber-stamp legislature;

Whereas Lukashenka illegally extended his own term of office

to 2001 by an illegitimate referendum;

Whereas Belarus has effectively become an authoritarian police state, where human rights are routinely violated;

Whereas Belarusian economic development is stagnant and

living conditions are deplorable;

Whereas in May 1999, the Belarusian opposition challenged

Lukashenka’s unconstitutional lengthening of his term by

staging alternative presidential elections, unleashing the

government crackdown;

Whereas the leader of the opposition, Simyon Sharetsky, was

forced to flee Belarus to the neighboring Baltic state of

Lithuania in fear for his life;

Whereas several leaders of the opposition—Viktor Gonchar,

Yuri Krasovsky, Yuri Zakharenka, Tamara Vinnikova,

and other members of the opposition, have disappeared;

Whereas the Belarusian authorities harass and persecute the

independent media and work to actively suppress the

freedom of speech;

Whereas the former Prime Minister Mikhail Chygir, who was

a candidate in the opposition’s alternative presidential

elections in May 1999, has been held in the pretrial detention on trumped up charges since April 1999;

Whereas President Lukashenka’s government provoked the

clashes between riot police and the demonstrators at the

October 17, 1999, ‘‘Freedom March’’, which resulted in

injuries to demonstrators and scores of illegal arrests;
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•SCON 75 IS

Whereas President Lukashenka addressed a session of the

Russian State Duma on October 26, 1999, advocating a

merger between Russia and Belarus; and

Whereas Anatoly Lebedko, Chairman of the Committee for

International Affairs of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus, Nikolay Statkevich, leader of the Social

Democratic Party, and Valery Shchukin, Deputy of the

Supreme Council, were arrested and imprisoned for taking part in the Freedom March: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) condemns the current Belarusian regime;

4 (2) further condemns the arrests of Anatoly

5 Lebedko, Nikolay Statkevich, and Valery Shchukin;

6 (3) is gravely concerned about the disappear7 ances of Viktor Gonchar, Yuri Krasovsky, Yuri

8 Zakharenka, Tamara Vinnikova, and other members

9 of the opposition;

10 (4) calls for immediate dialogue between Presi11 dent Lukashenka and the Consultative Council of

12 Belarusian opposition and the restoration of a civil13 ian, democratically elected government in Belarus;

14 (5) calls for a duly constituted national legisla15 ture, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary;

16 (6) urges President Lukashenka to respect the

17 human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including

18 those members of the opposition who are currently
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1 being illegally detained in violation of their constitu2 tional rights;

3 (7) further urges President Lukashenka to

4 make good on his promise to hold free parliamentary

5 elections in 2000;

6 (8) supports the appeal by the Consultative

7 Council of Belarusian opposition parties to the Gov8 ernment of Russia, the State Duma, and the Fed9 eration Council for a cessation of support for

10 Lukashenka’s regime;

11 (9) calls on the international community to sup12 port the opposition by continuing to meet with the

13 legitimately elected parliament; and

14 (10) calls on the President of the United States

15 to continue to—

16 (A) fund travel to the United States by the

17 Belarusian opposition figures;

18 (B) provide funding for the nongovern19 mental organizations in Belarus; and

20 (C) support information flows into

21 Belarus.

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