April

2000

Seminars

28.04.2000 in one Grodno the next informational-legal seminar for the businessmen and persons working on hiring took place.

Themes of the seminar:

- Administrative responsibility for the fulfilment of administrative crimes,

- Order of the appeal of administrative crimes,

- Right and duty of the persons who are made answer for administrative crimes

- Criminal responsibility in the sphere of small business

- Marketing for the businessmen

The seminar was hold within the framework of the co-operation of the Grodno businessmen and the commission which is responsible for the small grants of the embassy of the USA.

The representatives of a department of the information, education and culture of the embassy of the USA USIS also participated in the work of this seminar.

Oleg Sidigaev, a lawyer of the Belorussian Helsinki Committee in the very popular form told the present men as they should behave when they are arrested and searched, what documents the employees of militia should show. Each participant of the seminar was presented the selection from the present Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, prepared by the informational-legal centre (ILC) of the businessmen.

All who wanted could take part in the seminar. The Grodno businessmen are going carry out some more seminars on these subjects. We invite you. To become a member of a seminar, please call on the phone 31-30-62. The Belorussian Helsinki Committee is at Grodno the hotel “Neman”, room 201, tel. 44-61-43. All businessmen can get a piece of advice, enter their names in the list of the participants of a seminar, meet with the active workers of the trade union there. The businessmen can also get legal advice at Grodno, Telegraphnaya street 5, tel. 72-11-73. All advice for the members of the trade union are free-of-charge.

The professionals have got down to business

In April 2000 the press conference of the Grodno branch of the Belorussian Helsinki Committee (BHC) took place.

It is the first press conference of Grodno men who protect human rights. The Grodno BHC has begun a real work since Autumn, 1999. Before the arrival of Alexander Antonuk, a new chief, this structure in Grodno as many public organisations and legal centres, existed only on a paper. Today this respected organisation which protect human rights has managed to adjust work of the public waiting room and to win a number of "hopeless" businesses. The Grodno BHC has created a very serious precedent when the administrative businesses were discussed. Till April, 2000 administrative courts of Grodno refused public organisations which protect human rights to participate in the trials as public men who protect human rights. But the professionals from BHC have got down to business. The result is the following: the board on civil businesses of the Grodno regional court specified to smaller courts to the illegitimacy of the actions of the judges. Now the representatives of Grodno BHC participate in judicial sessions as the full participants of a trial. For the first time in Grodno only for one month they have achieved a cancellation of two administrative decisions of courts of the first instance on businesses about the currency and distribution of the literature of the trade union of the businessmen "The Southern". Using judicial procedures, Grodno BHC plans to recognise many norms contained in the legislation of RB "About meetings, processions and demonstrations" as anti-constitutional. Such petition during a trial is already declared, and the procedure on reconsideration of these norms is begun.

Alexander Antonuk is not at all confused with the fact that the municipal executive committee on behalf of the vice-chairman of the municipal executive committee avoids a dialogue with the representatives of Grodno BHC on the breach of the human rights in Grodno.

It is a simple example what some man who are engaged in the business not for money, but conscientiously can do. They will have difficulties. The "native" municipal executive committee forces the public organisation to pay for rent of a room 6 dollars for square meter, though under the law they should pay no more than 0,6 dollars for square meter.

As A. Antonuk, the chief of the organisation has explained they will achieve the reduction of a rent payment.

All advice in BHC are free-of-charge and men from the Helsinki committee are full of the optimism. They think that it is necessary to expand the institute of the public’s defenders. The lawyers are so intimidated and not effective that all their speeches during a judicial process are a simple formality for which you pay huge money.

Not all things are hopeless in the Republic of Belarus

The information message.

The work of the Grodno Co-ordination Council (GCC) of public associations of Grodno and Grodno region participating in the creation of conditions to realise democratic and free election began.

Except for the initiators on the creation of this Council - the Grodno branch of the Belorussian organisation of the working women, Grodno businessmen, informational-legal centre, Free trade unions of Grodno and Grodno region, the Grodno regional organisation on protection of the rights of the consumer, the Grodno municipal centre on protection of the rights of the consumer, the Organisations of the mothers having many children and needy families "The Spring of Mercy" - the Grodno branch of the Belorussian Helsinki Committee, the Trade union of the businessmen, the trade union of the workers of the joined company and organisation with the limited responsibility "Alforma", the trade union of the students joined it. Approximately this Co-ordination Council united about 1100 men, members of organisations signed the Agreement on the creation of GCC.

The creation of the centre on the supervision over parliamentary and presidential election in the Republic of Belarus is planned.

The equipment, multiplying engineering and the account materials are given by the Grodno trade union of the businessmen "The Southern". The financing of the expenses on the work of GCC was undertaken by the Grodno businessmen.

The first knowledge in the field of the rights of a voter the Grodno businessmen got on Friday, April 28, 2000, at the legal seminar. The lectures were read by the representatives of the Belorussian Helsinki Committee and Informational-legal centre of the businessmen.

If you need any additional information, please, call us: (0152) 31-30-62

E-mail: levonevski40@freemail.ru 

And have not you forgotten to join the Republican Trade union of the Businessmen?

STOP rogues …. from the opposition

A sight from within.

Have you ever pondered why our opposition is so weak? Why does it suit A. Lukashenko?

Why do some "figures" from the opposition shout about a differently minded that he is a "man from Moskow", " the agent of CSS ", if the opinion of this man differs from the opinion of this "figure - shouter"?

The matter is not only in the low intelligence of shouters.

The trouble of the Belorussians is that in the opposition there are about of three dozens of "old" politicians who were in old times removed from a "wash-tub". It does not concern, certainly, those people, patriots, who left A. Lukashenko and good replete life on the ideological reasons. Such people are reputable. But how many others who have been thrown out for robbery, use of an official status in the personal purposes, when they supervised over executive committees, ministries, departments, represented the legislative and executive authority. Then today's "formers" looked at the people in a haughty manner. Now they are the opposition. They were “thrown” by their colleagues. What are to do? They were never were able to work, "to plough" as all for the beggarly salary they did not want. And they got used to replete life. And they fastened their eyes on the opposition. They quickly guessed that here it is possible "to warm" hands and to come nearer to the opposition’s “seed-can”. They have created hundreds of public organisations, united with themselves and declared that they and are the opposition to the present mode. A present mode is satisfied with such situation as this "representatives of opposition” will speak as much as it will be allowed to them by the authorities. Such opposition we have already seen for five years. Its peculiarity is that it exists extremely with the help of the external financing. Remove the external financing and this "opposition" will fall down as a card house.

For them today the main thing is not an idea of free Belarus, though they speak about it from all tribunes, they want to fill pockets on the line of grants and foreign trips.

Have you ever pondered why during the last year sharply the amount of strikes, meetings has increased, the quota of their participants has extended. Because in the politics there came new people who are not controlled by anybody. They are ideological people who have never been at "the seed-can". There is no split in the opposition. There is a purification from old and "attendants" representatives of the opposition in it. It has only begun, and the first results are already visible. Youth organisations of BNF, socialists and democrats, the United Civil Party, businessmen, intelligentsia, women - mothers, military men, progressively adjusted employees of militia (yes, sirs, the militia) are today the basis of the arisen opposition.

The danger is that the former party workers and the nomenclature try to head these organisations. Such tendencies are observed in Belarus everywhere. If it take place, we shall "struggle" with the present mode for many years.

The smell of money is already in air.

The election comes nearer. The election of the parliament and election of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

How again come into office? Where to find money? People will not give money them, "former". They do not trust them.

It is necessary for them, "former", "to fool" trustful West. And again the emissaries (there is even one in Grodno) visit different places and tell that they head all movements and directions in the opposition. Money regularly are paid on the accounts of public organisations and resource centres which are controlled by them. "Former" “washed” money, write the beautiful reports and they again set out in a way to ask money. And in "West" they can not understand: so much money are put in the development of the Democracy in the Republic of Belarus and the smell of democracy is not felt.

One more direction - "the supervision over election". I do not know how everywhere in Belarus, but in Grodno this movement tries to head Semen Domash the former chairman of the regional executive committee, an old political corpse and a man who very likes intrigues. He found even Alexei Shulga the chief of this structure of the supervision over election in Grodno and Grodno region from opposition, a young rogue who earlier guarded the prisoners. I am sure that with the “help” of these men the money sums stipulated for the supervision over election "will be washed", "will stick" to hands, and the supervision will be formal and deformed. I personally know them well, therefore such assumption has the right to life

For example, A. Shulga using the trust of the chief of the Grodno Centre of protection of the rights of the consumer, having forged my signature in the registration documents actually discharged the President of the Centre from the opportunity to supervise over this public organisation and to supervise its financial-economic activity. The centre, as an independent organisation, stopped to exist. The corrupted a part of the urban officials do not suffer from the headache anymore as the centre carried out independent checks of trade places. Probably the award to A. Shulga from the executive committee for it was a room in a city centre in the hotel "Neman" on the very preferential terms about which many people can only dream. The appropriate application in the militia not looking to the obvious facts was not very resulting, that speaks about the possible tense connection of A. Shulga with these bodies. But we shall finish the business logically.

Ratusha and the Grodno initiative are informed about this case, but on strange coincidence they do not pay attention to this. Probably, such people are necessary there. And taking into account that Semen Domash will stand for the parliament and, probably, for the President, he needs the "obedient" observers and experts in the forgery of the documents.

Semen Domash by his actions compelled the United Civil Party, the Trade union of the businessmen to leave "The Grodno initiative", now he tries to isolate me personally from the public life. I am not alowed to speak on meetings, the realisation of seminars and other measures is a strict secret.

Attacks, bells on the phone with fantastic histories, with the visits to my home of a man who repairs the TV who was not call are added to the gossips and intrigues etc. All these events are not connected with the action of special services, too finely for them.

On what means the unemployed Semen Domash lives for many years, why the decision of the court concerning him are not executed in time is a riddle. The Grodno arrests, searches, administrative detention, the protocols bypass Semen Domash. Why? He is such an active leader of the opposition!

I am sure that there is a thirst of authority and thirst of revenge behind all loud applications of Semen Domash and those who are similar to him. they will not give us anything good. I feel sorry for those people and organisation which have got in the financial and other dependence on such "representatives of the opposition". To be united with them them means to lose everything, to lose yourself, to turn into the  same political "impotent man".

What are to do?

It is necessary to bring up the new leaders in each city, in each organisation. To be united only with a healthy part of the opposition, instead of "those who like grants". One rotten apple will spoil all stock of apples. It is necessary to join with people. The street actions are necessary to co-ordinate with the thorough work with people. To create the base for the changes. It is necessary to create conditions at which such as Lukashenko and Domash will never come to the authority.

Sirs, businessmen! When you at last understand: it is necessary for to take the active part in all processes taking place in the country. Or one rogues will be changed by others. And anything in our life will not change to the best.

For this reason we create own structures in all spheres of public and political life of Belarus.

Valery Levonevsky