Helsinki Commission hearing focuses on Belarus' failure to meet human rights standards, and its union with Russia (03/19/00)

Helsinki Commission hearing focuses on Belarus' failure
to meet human rights standards, and its union with Russia

by Orest Deychakiwsky

WASHINGTON - "Lukashenka's regime continues to clench the reigns of power, stifling fundamental freedoms and violating the human rights of Belarusian citizens," said Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) at the March 9 hearing "Belarus: Stalled at the Crossroads."

"It has refused to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition. [President Alyaksandr Lukashenka] has paid lip service to dialogue, or has used the tactics of delay and obfuscation, reminiscent of the Communist past. Unless Lukashenka begins an honest dialogue with the opposition, ends police repression, allows freedom of the media and reforms the electoral process, Belarus will never rise to meet the basic human rights standards iterated in the Helsinki documents and cease being a pariah in the European community," said Rep. Smith.

Chairman Smith also expressed growing concern about the Russia-Belarus Union: "How can one talk about a union when a mockery is made of democratic processes ... can a genuine debate exist under these circumstances? Can you speak of a union when the decks are stacked against those who deeply care about Belarus' independence, and when the head of the country actively works against open debate on the subject? A momentous decision such as whether or not to unify with another country - with all the implications for Belarus' sovereignty - should, as perhaps no other decision, reflect the genuine will of the people."

At the Helsinki Commission's hearing, prominent witnesses criticized the Lukashenka administration, focusing on the deterioration of human rights and democracy in Belarus, as well as the implications of the Belarus-Russia union treaty on Belarus' existence as an independent state. They also called for meaningful dialogue between the Belarusian government and the opposition, and free and fair parliamentary elections as a way out of the country's current constitutional crisis.

Testifying were Harold Koh, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor and a Helsinki commissioner; Ross Wilson, principal deputy to the ambassador-at-large and special advisor to the secretary of state for the new independent states; Semyon Sharetsky, chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus illegally disbanded by President Lukashenka in 1996; Stanislau Shushkevich, independent Belarus' first head of state; Anatoly Lebedka, chair of the Commission for International Affairs of the 13th Supreme Soviet; and former Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Adrian Severin, head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Working Group on Belarus.

Assistant Secretary Koh, who characterized the situation in Belarus as having markedly deteriorated since the spring of 1999, when the commission held its last hearing on Belarus, stated: "Democratic legitimacy in Belarus can only be restored through free and fair elections in which all citizens and candidates can participate on an equal basis and by restoring the necessary checks and balances among the branches of government."

"The Lukashenka regime's recent announcement of plans to resume the OSCE-sponsored dialogue with the opposition," he said, "must not impose pre-conditions that will make it impossible for the opposition to participate. It instead must produce real results, including agreement on an electoral code that meet OSCE standards and provides an internationally acceptable framework for legitimate, free and fair parliamentary elections. Otherwise, the U.S. and other democracies will find it very difficult if not impossible to recognize the parliamentary elections planned for later this year as legitimate, and Belarus will not resolve its political and constitutional crisis or end its self-imposed isolation."

Mr. Wilson of the State Department noted that U.S. policy is the same for Belarus as for the rest of the states of the former Soviet Union. "We support Belarus' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as its market democratic transformation and integration among the broader trans-Atlantic community of nations."

"As we look to Belarus' future," he continued, "we see one new concern looming, and that is the prospect that the Lukashenka regime could mortgage his country's independence to Russia. The administration's policy on integration among the former Soviet states is that it must be voluntary, mutually beneficial and erect no new external barriers. The breakdown of democracy has made a voluntary decision by the Belarusian people impossible."

Mr. Wilson added, "The United States is maintaining a policy of selective engagement with the regime in Miensk, with no direct assistance, emphasizing our call for allowing peaceful demonstrations and resumption of dialogue with the opposition, showing support for democratic leaders and the OSCE's Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG), and restating our readiness to work with a Belarus that honestly elects its leaders and cooperates with its neighbors."

Mr. Sharetsky, who currently resides in Lithuania out of concerns for his safety, asserted: "The majority of the population in Belarus does not support Lukashenka. It is only the all-around support by Russia of the Lukashenka regime that enables the dictator to disrespect the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and flagrantly violate the laws and liberties of people, in disregard of appeals by international organizations and Parliaments of democratic countries for the Belarusian government to return to a lawful sphere and start real negotiations with the representatives of the democratic opposition."

Mr. Sharetsky noted that "The independence of Belarus and the preservation of its sovereignty, its return to a democratic way of development, and its joining of European structures, is not only necessary for the creation of normal living conditions for the 10 million Belarusian people who are European in their mindset, but it is also necessary in order to guarantee the security of our neighbors and all of Europe - understanding that the problems of Belarus should be solved by the Belarusians themselves." The speaker expressed fears that Belarus may be annexed by Russia.

Mr. Shushkevich, who together with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine terminated the Soviet Union through the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991, observed: "Supporters of Belarusian independence are not enemies of Russia. They understand that Russia is more democratic than Belarus is today and that Russia's economy is more liberal. But they also realize that to follow the path of reforms together with an unpredictable Russia is similar to that of following a herd of horses, speeding along without knowing where they might turn next. Russia does not conceal its intentions that it wants to swallow Belarus under the guise of 'unification.' The Russian Federation Council on Foreign and Defense Policy declared openly that the unification must be used 'to oppose the expansion of NATO to the East.'"

Mr. Lebedka, a leading democratic opposition member who came from Miensk to testify, warned of President Lukashenka's possible tactics in negotiation with the opposition: "Different, diametrically opposed approaches to solving the Belarus problem have collided. The OSCE, the Council of Europe and the opposition suggest playing chess using the well-established and generally recognized rules. The Lukashenka regime, sweeping the figures off the board, prefers to use it for smacking its opponent on the head. In fact, it has unilaterally stopped consultations on starting a negotiating process ... Declarations and promises of the Belarusian authorities are not worth the paper they were written on."

Referring to the planned parliamentary elections, Mr. Lebedka stated: "If the regime persists in playing the role of a deaf-mute, the reaction of the world community must be appropriate. In this situation, an election that is not a consequence of negotiation and compromise, but that is held under deliberately unequal and discriminatory conditions, cannot be recognized as democratic and legitimate. The U.S., in coalition with the European Union, is capable of effectively influencing the situation in Belarus, using possibilities offered by Russia for this purpose. The allocation of financial assistance to Russia should be considered in conjunction with the human rights situation in Belarus. The protection of human rights must remain one of the priorities of Western foreign policy."

Mr. Severin, who is deeply involved in facilitating the government-opposition dialogue, concluded: "The current situation in Belarus does not give much reason for enthusiasm in that there have been a number of setbacks to the democratization process and to the efforts of the OSCE ... to create an inclusive political dialogue on elections. The date for these elections is drawing near with many necessary issues yet to be resolved. However, some hope still remains. The government has recognized the need for a national dialogue and has instituted its own process. The opposition has expressed a willingness to participate in any meaningful dialogue which will work towards the resolution of their differences with the government. Whereas confidence and trust are still lacking in this new process, it is imperative that all sides try to make the effort a successful one."

However, he cautioned: "The key issue is that time is short and much needs to be done in order for free, fair and recognizable elections to take place in Belarus this year."

One of the expectations raised during the Helsinki Commission hearing was that during the planned March 15 opposition-staged "Freedom March 2," there will not be a repeat of the events of last October's Freedom March in which some demonstrators were beaten, and that the rights to freedom of assembly will be unequivocally respected. (On March 9, following discussions with the organizers of the demonstration, the Miensk city government sanctioned "Freedom March 2.")

In addition to Rep. Smith, present at the hearing were: Commissioner Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.); Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.), vice-chairman of the First Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly; Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.), ranking member of the International Relations Committee; and R. Spencer Oliver, secretary general, Parliamentary Assembly. Majority Leader Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) offered his encouragement to the Belarusian opposition in a brief discussion at the hearing.

Copies of the hearing statements are available on the commission website at http://www.house.gov/csce/ or by calling (202) 225-1901.

Orest Deychakiwsky is staff advisor at the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe whose country responsibilities include Belarus, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

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