•HCON 237 IH
Whereas the human rights record of Belarus has steadily de-
teriorated since President Alyaksandr Lukashenka took
office in 1994, reversing nearly all the advances in
human rights and democratization of the post-Soviet pe-
riod;
Whereas President Lukashenka has steadily amassed exces-
sive executive powers and has eroded the legislative and
judicial constitutional checks on his power;
Whereas the November 1996 referendum, which President
Lukashenka used to give himself sweeping powers over
parliament and the judiciary, was in contradiction with
provisions of the 1994 constitution and cannot be consid-
ered as legitimate;
Whereas the Belarusian Supreme Soviet, elected in 1995
under the 1994 democratic constitution, remains the only
rightful parliament in Belarus;
Whereas following the November 1996 referendum, President
Lukashenka disbanded the Supreme Soviet, formed the
National Assembly subordinate to his rule, and has used
it to ratify his own increasingly repressive decrees;
Whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE recognizes
the Belarusian Supreme Soviet as the legitimate par-
liament of Belarus;
Whereas the ‘‘separation of powers’’ established by the 1994
constitution, and in conformity with principles observed
in democracies around the world, has virtually ceased to
exist in Belarus, and President Lukashenka has increas-
ingly resorted to rule by decree;
Whereas the Constitutional Court has been brought entirely
under the control of President Lukashenka and independ-
ence of the judiciary is not guaranteed in Belarus;
•HCON 237 IH
Whereas the Belarusian Government continues to violate its
OSCE human dimension commitments, especially in free-
doms of expression, association and assembly, and media;
Whereas freedoms of expression and media continue to be se-
verely restricted, including the subordination of some
major media organizations to the President Lukashenka’s
administration, the jailing of reporters, and the closing of
newspapers and independent radio stations;
Whereas in November 1997, the Belarusian-language
Svaboda, the largest independent newspaper in Belarus,
was closed down by the government;
Whereas the government of President Lukashenka is at-
tempting to squelch all expressions of opposition to the
regime, and individuals who criticize the president or gov-
ernment are harassed, intimidated, or arrested;
Whereas nongovernmental organizations in Belarus have been
intimidated and harassed through the use of tax audits
and exorbitant rent increases;
Whereas the Belarusian Soros Foundation, which since 1993
has donated some $13,000,000 to educational, humani-
tarian, cultural, and media projects in Belarus, was
forced to close its office in Miensk in September 1997 as
a result of the Belarusian Government’s orchestrated
campaign of harassment;
Whereas restrictions on freedom of assembly dramatically in-
creased in Belarus in 1996 and early 1997;
Whereas police have without justification broken up opposi-
tion demonstrations, and often resorting to violence, have
arrested protesters and bystanders;
Whereas the Government of Belarus agreed on September 18,
1997, to establish an OSCE Advisory and Monitoring
•HCON 237 IH
Group in Belarus, whose task is to assist the Belarusian
authorities in promoting democratic institutions and in
complying with other OSCE commitments, and to mon-
itor and report on this process;
Whereas on December 18, 1997, the Government of Belarus
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the OSCE
on the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group enabling it
to begin its work;
Whereas the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group can
make a valuable contribution in assisting the Government
of Belarus in improving its human rights record, thus re-
ducing its isolation from the international community;
and
Whereas Belarus enjoys most-favored-nation (MFN) status
under the annual waiver of the Jackson-Vanik amend-
ment of the Trade Act of 1974: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) voices its concern about the current and se-
rious limitations on human rights and civil liberties
in Belarus;
(2) calls upon the Government of Belarus to
follow the principles embodied in the 1994 constitu-
tion, both in practice and intent;
(3) calls upon the Government of Belarus to
abide by its commitments under the Helsinki Final
Act and subsequent agreements of the Organization
•HCON 237 IH
on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and
other international commitments;
(4) urges the Belarusian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka to restore the rights of the Supreme
Soviet;
(5) urges the President of the United States,
the Secretary of State, the United States Embassy
in Miensk, the United States mission to the United
Nations, and the United States mission to the
OSCE to utilize every appropriate opportunity, pri-
vately and publicly, to encourage the Government of
Belarus to respect its international human rights
commitments, including OSCE principles and norms;
(6) supports the development of independent
nongovernmental organizations in Belarus dedicated
to promoting democracy and respect for fundamen-
tal human rights and freedoms;
(7) welcomes the work of the OSCE Advisory
and Monitoring Group in assisting in the develop-
ment of democratic institutions in Belarus and en-
courages the Government of Belarus to cooperate
fully with the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring
Group; and
(8) urges the President to take into consider-
ation the human rights record of Belarus in his de-
•HCON 237 IH
termination of most-favored-nation (MFN) status
for Belarus and, if sufficient improvements are not
undertaken, urges that the President not renew the
extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (most-fa-
vored-nation treatment) to the products of the Re-
public of Belarus.
Æ