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UNESCO Remembers Assassinated Journalists - Veronika Cherkasova

EU-Belarus: New message to the people of Belarus EU press release...

Alexander Milinkevich - winner of the European Parliament's 2006 Sakharov Prize European Parliament press release...

 

 

Reporters Without Borders names "Predators of Press Freedom" - Islamist terrorists, Castro, Putin, Lukashenka, and others link to Reporters Without Borders...

FreeMediaOnline.org Supporters of independent media in Belarus ask Congress for new assistance more story... | text of the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act H.R. 5948 | appeal in support of H.R. 5948... | FreeMediaOnline.org report on threats to independent media in Belarus...

OSCE Chairman deeply concerned at Belarusian court verdict against would-be election monitors OSCE press release...

New Congressional Measure Aims To Promote Democracy in Belarus
Would authorize sanctions, funds for democracy-building, broadcasting. U.S. State Dept. Wash. File more story... | Statement from U.S. Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman, Christopher H. Smith, R-NJ

Новая инициатива Конгресса направлена на продвижение демократии в Беларуси
Предполагается разрешить санкции, выделить средства на демократическое строительство и вещание U.S. State Dept. (Госдепартамент) more story...

Bush to nominate Karen Stewart as new U.S. Ambassador to Belarus link to U.S. State Dept Wash. File...

U.S. condemns conviction of Belarusian opposition figure Aleksandr Kozulin link to U.S. State Dept. statement... | Belarusian Foreign Ministry response...

Belarusians abroad call for raising human rights issues in Belarus at the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg text of Belarusian Review editorial...

Belarus Dismisses Latest US Sanctions Sanctions will freeze US assets of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and other government officials 20 June 2006 VOA news report...

Bush Freezes US Assets of Lukashenko and Other Top Belarusian Officials Move bars Americans and US companies from doing business with any of the officials 19 June 2006 VOA news report...

FreeMediaOnline.org Independent journalists in Belarus risk losing their information link with the Voice of America as a result of program cuts by BBG Dublin, CA, June 12, 2006 - The Broadcasting Board of Governors' (BBG), acting upon directives from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and presumably the Bush White House, decided recently to eliminate several Voice of America (VOA) radio programs in favor of expanding broadcasting to the Middle East. Perhaps unbeknownst to many Administration officials and even some BBG members, the decision may result in ending VOA Russian-language radio and Internet broadcasts to Belarus, the only country left in Europe with a dictatorial regime. full story...

ODIHR issues recommendations to improve Belarusian election process in its final report, Warsaw, 7 June 2006 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, has issued more than 50 recommendations needed in order for Belarus to bring its elections into line with its OSCE commitments OSCE press release... | OSCE final report in English | in Russian

White House Press Release Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Responsible for Policies or Actions That Threaten the Transition to Democracy in Belarus A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America, May 15, 2006

The OpenNet Initiative study concluded that the March 2006 Belarus elections were marked by Internet access irregularities. May 3, 2006 The OpenNet Initiative concluded thet indirect “squeezing” of the Net may be a new strategy for political filtering in Belarus and other countries. link to full report |

White House Press Release Presidential Message on Belarus, March 24, 2006

International Broadcasting

Links to international broadcasts to Belarus

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty>>

http://www.svaboda.org/

Radio Polonia Радыё Палёнія>> http://www.polskieradio.pl/polonia/by/

European Radio for Belarus>>

http://www.belradio.fm/news.php

Voice of America Belarus Forum>> http://www.voanews.com/russian/belarus_forum.cfm

European Union TV Window to Europe>> http://belarus-europe.info/tv/index.php?l=0

Radio Sweden >> http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/programsidor/index.asp?ProgramID=2215

 

Link to Radio Belarus

Radio Belarus >> http://www.tvr.by/eng/radiobel.asp

 

Link to Belarusian Telegraph Agency

Belarusian Telegraph Agency English>> http://www.belta.by/en

Belarusian Telegraph Agency Belarusian>> http://www.belta.by/by

Belarusian Telegraph Agency Russian>> http://www.belta.by/

Links to U.S. State Dept. Information in Russian and English

http://minsk.usembassy.gov/index.html

http://usinfo.state.gov/russian/

Link to U.S. State Dept. Background Note: Belarus >>

Link to U.S. State Dept. Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005 : Belarus >> http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61638.htm

2005 U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights - Belarus - released March 2006. "The government took steps to restrict independent media. A March report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of the media found the situation had deteriorated, with fewer independent media outlets and greater use by the government of administrative pressures to limit free expression."

"Under its constitution, Belarus is a republic with a directly elected president and a bicameral National Assembly (parliament). The country had a population of just under 10 million. President Aleksandr Lukashenko, first elected in 1994, systematically undermined the country's democratic institutions and concentrated power in the executive branch through flawed referenda, manipulated elections, and undemocratic laws and regulations. Parliamentary elections and a referendum that removed term limits on the presidency in October 2004 failed to meet international standards. The civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces; members of the security forces committed numerous human rights abuses."

Information in Russian about the U.S - infoUSA

http://usinfo.state.gov/russki/infousa/

Links to U.S. State Dept. Russian-language e-journals dealing with Internet and other media issues. eJournalUSA is available in several electronic formats in English from: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/ to facilitate viewing online, transferring, downloading, and printing by international journalists. eJournalUSA includes information that "journal articles, photographs, and illustrations may be reproduced and translated outside the United States unless they carry explicit copyright restrictions, in which case permission must be sought from the copyright holders noted in the journal."

As with any government-provided material, you must evaluate its source, balance, and usefulness. Russian-language editions of eJournalUSA can be found at: http://usinfo.state.gov/pub/ejournalusa/russian.html

Belarusian Review

Belarusian Review>> www.belarusianreview.org

 

Media Freedom Issues

OSCE Office in Minsk >> http://www.osce.org/belarus/

OSCE Chairman condemns today's jailing of Belarusian opposition leader Milinkevich and calls for his immediate release Sofia, 27 April 2006 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, has expressed deep concern about the imprisonment of Belarus's main opposition leader, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, and other activists in Minsk today, and called for their immediate release. link to OSCE press release... | OSCE press release in Russian...

OSCE documents on Belarus>> http://www.osce.org/belarus/documents.html

Final report on Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Belarus, 17 October 2004 Belarusian | English | Russian

The results of media monitoring carried out by the OSCE's Election Observation Mission to Belarus for the parliamentary elections, 17 October 2004 PDF document...

Link to>>Freedom House 2005 Freedom of the Press Country Report: Belarus "The government used media laws to suspend more than 25 independent and opposition newspapers throughout the year, including 11 in the month before the elections."

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, stressed the need for the free flow of information as part of the European Union's efforts to promote democratization in Belarus. European Parliament plenary session discussion on Belarus Elections, Strasbourg, 5 April 2006 "The current EC-supported TV and radio programmes make an important contribution to democratisation. They also increase the EU’s visibility in Belarus. It is important that we get across to the Belarusian population both the EU’s considerable financial commitment and the potential benefits of ENP." Link to the European Commission press release...

 

Other news reports & press releases

Committee to Protect Journalists Says Two Dozen Reporters Detained in Belarus Rights group says many of detainees charged with hooliganism, taking part in illegal protests, 29 March, 2006 link to VOA news report ...

Minsk Accuses West of 'Anti-Belarusian Hysteria' Western countries condemn Belarus presidential elections as fraud, 26 March 2006 link to VOA news report..

. Launch of EU Radio and TV programs for Belarus, Brussels, 23 February 2006. New EU-financed TV and radio broadcasting programmes for Belarus will start on 26 February 2006. They are part of a wider €2 million project that will cover Internet, support to the Belarusian written press and training of journalists, in addition to radio and TV broadcasts (see IP/06/86). The objective of this project is to increase access to independent news and information across the whole of the country. Link to the European Commission press release...

New EU Broadcasting Initiative for Belarus, Brussels, 26 January 2006. The European Commission is announcing today which media consortium will undertake a €2 million project to increase access in Belarus to independent sources of news and information. The selected consortium, led by Media Consulta (Germany) includes implementing partners from Poland (European Radio for Belarus, Lithuania (Radio Baltic Wave), Belarus (journalists, civil society and NGOs), and Russia (RTVi), which will broadcast by satellite from Germany. It will be supported by a number of EU NGOs specialized in the media sector. The two-year project will cover radio and TV broadcasts, internet, support to the Belarusian written press and training of journalists. The radio and TV broadcasting programmes will start in February before the presidential elections in Belarus. Link to the European Commission press release...

The European Commission to support independent broadcasting to Belarus, Brussels, 24 August 2005. The European Commission has granted a €138.000 contract to Deutsche Welle Radio to broadcast via radio and Internet into Belarus. These programmes will be in an initial stage primarily in Russian, one of the state languages of Belarus, though content may also be provided in Belarusian in the future. With this measure, the Commission hopes to increase the awareness of the Belarusian population about democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, freedom of press and human rights. Broadcasting will take place over 12 months from 1 November 2005. The Commission is the first donor to carry out this type of activity in support of human rights and freedom of expression in Belarus. Link to the European Commission press release...

Link to the Foreign Ministry of Belarus

English>> http://www.mfa.gov.by/eng/index.php?id=1&d=news

Russian>> http://www.mfa.gov.by/rus/index.php?id=1&d=news

Other Information Resources

Belarus News and Analysis

e-belarus.ORG is an independent think tank on ICT developments, e-government and e-democracy in Belarus.

Indymedia Belarus

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