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International Adoption Belarus
NATURALIZATION: Under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which became effective on February 27, 2001, orphans adopted by U.S. citizens acquire U.S. citizenship automatically when all of the following requirements have been met: at least one parent is a U.S. citizen; the child is under 18 years of age; there is a full and final adoption of the child; and, the child is admitted to the United States as an immigrant. [Read More]
Belarus (10/04)
Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religions continued in 2003 and 2004. Efforts to further infringe upon press freedoms included the continued use of libel laws, limitations on foreign funding, pressure on businesses not to advertise with independent media, limitations on access to newsprint and printing presses, censorship, restrictions on the import of media-related materials, temporary suspension of independent and opposition periodicals, and detention of those distributing such material. The government continued to make use of its monopoly on television broadcasting to present biased news coverage and to minimize the presentation of opposing points of view. On September 9, 2003 President Lukashenko called upon mass media to be used as an instrument for promoting a pro-government state ideology. Additionally, although several Internet service providers have emerged in Belarus, they are all state-controlled. Despite constitutional prov ... [Read More]
Lukashenko Referendum Announcement
The Government of Belarus persistent violations of human rights and democracy have unfortunately isolated Belarus from the world community rather than leading it to the respected position Belarus should rightfully enjoy among Europes democracies. Given this poor track record, President Lukashenkos decree calling for a referendum to eliminate institutional term limits for the presidency and allow him to run again for president in 2006 raises grave doubts whether the results will freely and fairly reflect the views of the Belarusian people. We reiterate our call upon the Government of Belarus to ensure that the Belarusian people are able to debate, vote and have their votes counted according to international democratic standards on October 17 and thereafter by taking immediate steps to uphold Belarus international democracy and human rights commitments. ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Belarus
On April 28, PACE reacted to the results of an investigation it had commissioned on the disappearances of Krasovskiy, Gonchar, Zakharenko, and Zavadskiy (see Sections 1.a. and 1.b.). It adopted a unanimous resolution calling on the authorities to conduct a "truly independent" investigation of the disappearances after first suspending then Prosecutor General Viktor Sheiman, who was accused of orchestrating the disappearances. The resolution called for maintaining the suspension the country's earlier Special Guest status and indicated that until there was substantial progress by the Belarus Government in investigating the disappearances, the presence of any parliamentarians from that country in PACE would be inappropriate. The Government condemned PACE's action. ... [Read More]
Belarus Court Order Closing Non-Governmental Organization Vyasna
The action against Vyasna is the latest in a series of closures of organizations and media outlets that call into question the sincerity of the Belarusian authorities in wanting to develop a democratic society and improve relations with the trans-Atlantic community. We urge Belarus to cease its attacks on non-governmental organizations and the media and to permit the reopening of those organizations that have been closed on spurious grounds. ... [Read More]
Belarus
NGOs operated two trafficking information hotlines; one in the capital of Minsk and a second in Brest, located near the Polish and Ukrainian borders. The hotline in Brest received 1,277 calls in its first year of operation; 66 percent of which were from women. Of the callers, 52 percent had questions regarding employment abroad, and 390 callers said they received proposals to work abroad from friends. The hotline in Minsk received an average of 100 calls per month. ... [Read More]
Belarus' New Law on Religion
We call upon the Lukashenko regime to take the necessary measures to ensure that Belarusian citizens, regardless of religious faith, have the same opportunities to conduct worship without hindrance and in keeping with international norms on the freedom of religion. ... [Read More]
Prosecution of Belarusian Opposition Figure Mikhail Marinich
It is clear that the Belarus Government is prosecuting Ambassador Marinich for his political views. The current regime regrettably has done this to many other prominent Belarus opposition figures, including, most recently, Anatoliy Lebedko, who was charged with slander. We strongly condemn the flagrant abuse of the Belarus court system to persecute citizens for reason of their political beliefs. We call on the Belarusian Government to respect human and legal rights and promptly release Ambassador Marinich and other political figures who have been detained, charged and convicted on spurious charges. ... [Read More]
U.S. Government Equipment Illegally Seized by Belarus
We condemn the latest seizures of U.S. government equipment by Belarus, call on the Belarusian regime to honor their international obligations, and return the wrongfully seized equipment to us immediately. ... We call upon Belarus to take immediate steps to create conditions for free and fair elections on September 9, based on international standards. Only by doing so will Belarus win the respect of the international community, improve relations with the United States and end its self imposed isolation. ... [Read More]
Belarus Obstructs Election Observation Preparations
We call upon Belarus to take immediate steps to create conditions for free and fair elections on September 9, based on international standards and in fulfillment of its international commitments. Failure to do so will call into question the credibility of the entire election process and prevent any improvement in relations with the United States. ... The United States has consistently supported democratic development in Belarus, including the holding of transparent and fair elections. Key to an open electoral process are the criteria set forth by the OSCE last year and Belarus' OSCE Copenhagen Document commitments. These criteria include an end to the climate of fear, equal access to the state media for all candidates, respect for freedom of assembly, as well as transparency and fairness in registration of candidates and functioning of electoral commissions. To date, the government of Belarus has failed on each and every one of these measures. In recent weeks, police have attacked non-governmental organizations conducting non-partisan election-related activities and have illegally seized U.S. government owned equipment. The United States condemns the seizures of U.S. government-owned equipment in Belarus, calls on the Belarusian regime to honor its bilateral and multilateral commitments and obligations, and return the wrongfully se ... [Read More]
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