March 14-19 Minsk will see the forth session of the joint Belarusian-Iraqi commission for trade and economic cooperation. The Iraqi delegation will be headed by deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of finance of Iraq Hikmat Al-Azavi. In course of their meeting they will meet with the Belarus’ leadership, members of the government, deputy presidential administration head Leonid Kozik, the Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov. The Iraqi delegation will also visit some of the Belarusian companies and organizations.
The Minsk regional court pronounced the verdict in the trial of the former officer of the special forces squad Valery Ihnatovich, who was charged with several grave crimes including abduction of the ORT cameraman Dzmitser Zavadsky. The accused Valery Ihnatovich, Maim Malik and Alyaxei Huz, who according to numerous confirmations were members of the so-called “death squads”, founded by Alyaxandar Lukashenka, are sentenced to the life imprisonment. Another accused Syarhei Savushkin was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in hard labor colony. Dzmitser Zavadsky was not found however.
Police detained upon bribery suspicion the administrator of the Minsk “Akvabel” market. The woman is suspected of having received since August last year until present moment over 3mln rubles in bribes. The administrator was released upon the submission of written pledge not to leave the country.
Signing of the investment accord between the Belarusian government and the Russian brewery “Baltika” was postponed till May. Such an agreement was reached during the negotiations between the “Baltika’s” vice-president Adam Tlekhurai and the Belarusian vice-president Alexander Popkov. As you remember, late last year “Baltika” invested into the reconstruction of “Krynitsa” $10,5mln. However, in mid-December 2001 the works under the projects were halted as far as the Belarusian government didn’t pass a decision on the additional emission of shares of the “Krynitsa” plant, due to be taken over by “Baltika”. After that the St.Petersburg company declared that it would sue the Belarusian authorities and dismantle its equipment at “Krynitsa”.
In the near future they plan to set up a joint Belarusian-Russian company, which would deal with the gas supplies. This issue was discussed during a visit to Minsk by the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. The Minister of economy Vladimir Shimov told the journalists that the company would be supplying, transporting and catering for the gas transit. Shimov added that the joint venture would be formed on the basis of “Beltransgas”.
The Minsk regional court will voice today the verdict against the gang of the former riot police officer Valery Ignatovich, charged with such heavy crimes as murders and kidnapping of the ORT cameraman Dmitry Zavadsky. One of the loudest trial proceedings in Belarus so far has been lasting for over 4 months, while the case filed encompass 40 volumes. The process takes place behind closed doors, while its participants submitted written pledges not to divulge the information about its course. The state prosecutor considered the suspects guilty under seven episodes and innocent on one ($15,000 extortion wasn’t proven) and demanded that all four be sentenced to death penalty. Among the crimes, which the gang had carried out, are the killing of the Azerbaijani family of Nasibovs-Agaevs in Minsk, murders in Borisov and Maryina Gorka, Dmitry Zavadsky’s abduction, lootings. You may read a fuller information about that in our special section “Dmitry Zavadsky: journalist’s case”.
According to its amended Constitution, Belarus is a republic with a directly elected President. The President, Alexander Lukashenka (elected in 1994), used a November 1996 referendum to amend the 1994 Constitution in order to broaden his powers, extend his term in office, and replace the unicameral Parliament with a handpicked one, ignoring the then-Constitutional Court`s ruling that the Constitution could not be amended by referendum. Most members of the international community criticized the flawed referendum and do not recognize the legitimacy of the 1996 Constitution or the bicameral legislature that it introduced. On September 9, Lukashenka renewed his term of office as President through an election process that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described as neither free nor fair and as having failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections. Parliamentary elections were held in October 2000, the first since the 1996 referendum. The President and his administration manipulated the election process to ensure an absolute minimum of antiregime candidates and opposition members of the Parliament. The OSCE concluded that the elections were neither free nor fair. The judiciary is not independent.
United States Ambassador at the OSCE Permanent Council Stephan M. Minikes addressed the OSCE PC in Vienna over the recent detention in Belarus of an OSCE official vehicle with 10 political and NGO leaders en route to the conference in Lithuania. Following read the full text of his speech:
Today there will resume the session of the Shklov district court against five members of the resistance movement ZUBR, who are charged with defaming Alexander Lukashenko. Mikhail Kiselev, Maksim Potupchik, Alexander Pavlovich, Denis Senokosov and Dmitry Shalashkov are indicted for holding a pre-election skit on August 14 in the collective farm “Gorodets”, whose director once was Lukashenko. The young people put on masks with pasted mustache and called in at the near-by store in order to agitate for the incumbent and promise them to raise salaries to $100, reduce prices and incarcerate all thieves.
The direction of the Mahilyou polytechnic school where Alyaxandar Paulovich, one of the accused of Lukashenka’s insult, is studying, decided to punish the Zubr even before the trial ended. The pedagogical council was held on March 12, 2002 in Mahilyou polytechnic school. The proposal to exclude active participants of the pre-election campaign Alyaxandar Paulovich and Alyaxandar Kalita was on the agenda. Their expelling was proposed by the principal of the polytechnics, Alyaxandar Shapitsa, his assistant Bansiukova, a teacher Jana Aleschanka, and the director of educational work Valery Lyaukou. Almost all participants of the board supported the proposal, excluding six people who had refrained from voting. The final decision on expelling them will be taken by a commission on juvenile delinquency.
Member of the BPF Conservative Christian Party Vladimir Plotnikov was condemned by the Minsk district court for defending the Kuropaty memorial site. Judge Dmitry Gritsel fined him 150 minimal wages for having participated in November 9 Kuropaty action. Vladimir Plotnikov was indicted for disobeying police and violating administrative law. This was the last court action over the protester, detained in Kuropaty.
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