On the political front, Belarus s already abysmal record continues to deteriorate. In addition to the ongoing arbitrary arrests and beatings of some government opponents, and the still-unsolved disappearances of others, severe restrictions on freedom of speech, the press, and peaceful assembly continue. Several independent newspapers are undergoing criminal investigation. The mostly highly publicized case concerns Nasha Svaboda, which published a psychiatrist s evaluation of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka s mental health. Since January 2001, the offices of newspapers and NGOs throughout the republic have been routinely burglarized.
Electoral news is also bleak.
Just as the October elections were condemned as neither free nor fair by the opposition and the international community, the follow-up elections were also of dubious legitimacy. Independent Belarusian observers recorded many serious violations of voting procedures, including the reduction of the number of eligible voters in order to bump up turnout figures. Official figures claimed that voter participation was in the low 70 percentile in all districts, making the ballot valid. The efforts of several deputies, former members of the opposition parties who were elected to parliament in October, have so far failed to have any meaningful influence on legislative activity. Meanwhile, the National Assembly, recognized only by Russia and some other CIS countries, is struggling for broader international recognition.