Belarus Time
START I: Lisbon Protocol and The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
In signing the Lisbon Protocol in May 1992, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine became parties to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) as successors to the former USSR. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine also committed themselves in that Protocol to adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as non-nuclear-weapon states "in the shortest possible time." ... [Read More]
Press Availability at the NATO Ministerial
QUESTION: Nicholas Kralev with the Washington Times. On Sudan, if there is a request from the African Union, do you think NATO's response should be positive? And what exactly can they do to help the African Union? ... If you take, for instance, the example of the Middle East, it's very clear that given the fact that NATO is involved in Iraq through the training mission; given the fact that Iraq, of course, has NATO neighbors, including Turkey; given the fact that the Middle East -- Broader Middle East initiatives have been (inaudible) with NATO and with the European Union for some time; and given the interest in the Israeli-Palestinian issues, of course, we're going to have a dialogue about the Middle East and the Middle East Israeli-Palestinian issues and also the Broader Middle East. ... [Read More]
Belarus
Both the Criminal Procedure and Administrative Codes specify that police may detain a person for up to 3 hours without providing any explanation for the detention, and the authorities frequently used this provision to detain opposition members and demonstrators. According to the Criminal Code, police may detain a person suspected of a crime for 24 hours without a warrant, within which time the procurator is notified. The procurator then has 48 hours to review the legality of the detention. If the procurator finds that the detention is legal, a suspect may be held for a maximum of 10 days without a formal charge. However, once the decision is made to hold a suspect, formal charges generally are filed. Once a suspect is charged, a trial must be initiated within 2 months, although in some cases the procurator general may extend pretrial detention to 18 months to allow for further investigation. Alternatively a suspect who has been charged may be released on a written pledge n ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Most Americans use home and Embassy Internet services to read real-time news services, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN. As of June 2002, the Internet is the best option for obtaining timely international and local news and information. ... There is a growing number of Internet cafs throughout the city. Health and Medicine Medical FacilitiesLast Updated: 11/28/2003 10:17 AM The Embassy Health Unit is staffed by a Belarusian physician who has office hours three times a week for general medical care. He is available 24 hours/7days a week for emergency calls. He has worked for the Embassy on a part time-basis for 3 years and maintains an active practice in a government hospital when not at the Embassy. His English is excellent. He will arrange consultations with local medical specialists, laboratories, and other medical facilities as needed and often accompany the employee on ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]
Belarus
Both the Criminal Procedure and Administrative Codes specify that police may detain a person for up to 3 hours without providing any explanation for the detention, and the authorities frequently used this provision to detain opposition members and demonstrators. According to the Criminal Code, police may detain a person suspected of a crime for 24 hours without a warrant, within which time the procurator is notified. The procurator then has 48 hours to review the legality of the detention. If the procurator finds that the detention is legal, a suspect may be held for a maximum of 10 days without a formal charge. However, once the decision is made to hold a suspect, formal charges generally are filed. Once a suspect is charged, a trial must be initiated within 2 months, although in some cases the procurator general may extend pretrial detention to 18 months for further investigation. Alternatively a suspect who has been charged may be released on a written pledge not to fle ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belarus
Only the state run radio and the state-run television networks ONT and Belarusian Television (BT) broadcast nationwide. Russian channels NTV and RTR were generally available nationwide, although in many parts of the country only through pay cable services. However, their news programs were at times blocked from broadcast. Broadcasts from other countries, including Poland, and Lithuania, could be received in some parts of the country; however, the Brest local government removed three Polish channels from local cable providers in December. The reporting of both ONT and BT was biased heavily in favor of the Government and sharply critical of opposition politicians and organizations, and both failed to provide opposing viewpoints. This bias became more pronounced before the October 17 parliamentary elections and referendum. The BAJ reported that state channels provided only positive reviews of the President and Government. State owned media, including television, radio, and print, continue ... [Read More]
International Adoption Belarus
U.S. Department of State [Read More]
Belarus (10/04)
According to the constitution, citizens are free to travel within the country and to live and work where they wish; however, the authorities sometimes restrict these rights in practice. The authorities issue internal passports to all adults, which serve as primary identity documents and are required to travel, obtain permanent housing, and for hotel registration. ... The Minister of Defense is experiencing success in the area of military reform. Planned changes include combining the Air and Air Defense Forces, downsizing the force structure about 30% from 83,000 to 60,000, transitioning from a conscript to a contract force, and modernizing the command and control structure by creating a Ground Forces Command between the Ministry of Defense and the units in the field. Implementation of these reforms will take an unspecified amount of time. ... [Read More]
Belarus
U.S. Department of State [Read More]
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