Expresses grave concern about the disappearances of Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, and Yuri Zakharenka. Calls on the Lukashenka regime to ensure a full and timely investigation of these cases.
Calls for immediate dialogue between the Lukashenka regime and the opposition and the restoration of a democratically elected government in Belarus.
Urges the Lukashenka regime to: (1) respect and ensure the human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including members of the opposition currently being illegally detained in violation of their constitutional rights; (2) respect the rule of law and an independent judiciary; and (3) hold legitimate, free and fair parliamentary elections.
Supports the appeal by the Consultative Council of Belarusian opposition parties to the Government of the Russian Federation, the State Duma, and the Federation Council calling for a cessation of support for the Lukashenka regime.
Calls on the international community to support the opposition in Belarus by continuing to meet with the legitimately elected parliament.
Supports Belarus's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as its market democratic transformation and integration among the broader trans-Atlantic community of nations.
Calls on the President of the United States to: (1) ensure assistance to and cooperation with Belarusian opposition figures; (2) ensure that adequate resources are made available on an urgent basis to support those programs aimed at strengthening independent media, human rights, civil society, independent trade unions, and the democratic opposition in Belarus; (3) support the free flow of information into Belarus; (4) raise the issue of financial support provided by the Russian Federation to the Lukashenka regime at the highest levels of the Russian Federation Government; and (5) urge the Government of the Russian Federation, in accordance with its international commitments, to fully respect the sovereignty of Belarus, particularly in light of the illegitimate nature of the Lukashenka regime.
Calls on the President to report to Congress on: (1) the human rights situation, democratic process, elections, independence of the media, and the Lukashenka regime's control of the economy in Belarus; (2) steps undertaken to persuade the Russian Federation Government to end support to the Lukashenka regime; and (3) the status of Russian Federation-Belarus military integration.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 304 Introduced in House (IH)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 304
Expressing the condemnation of the continued egregious violations of
human rights in the Republic of Belarus, the lack of progress toward
the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Belarus, calling
on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime to engage in negotiations
with the representatives of the opposition and to restore the
constitutional rights of the Belarusian people, and calling on the
Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty of Belarus.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 12, 2000
Mr. Gejdenson (for himself, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Smith of New
Jersey, Mr. Blagojevich, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Udall of Colorado,
Ms. Carson, Mr. Phelps, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Hilliard, Mr. Snyder, Mr.
Meeks of New York, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Wexler, Mr.
Deutsch, Mr. Scott, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Chabot, Mr.
Knollenberg, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Moakley, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Pelosi, Mr.
Upton, Mr. Obey, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Blumenauer,
Mr. Rahall, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Dooley of California, Ms.
Waters, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Rivers, Mrs.
Mink of Hawaii, Mr. Castle, Mr. Weygand, Mrs. Clayton, Mrs. McCarthy of
New York, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Berry, Mr. Pallone,
Mrs. Lowey, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Hastings of
Florida, Mr. Hoeffel, Mr. Baldacci, Mr. Berman, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Stenholm,
Mr. Oxley, Mr. Barrett of Wisconsin, Mr. McCollum, Mr. Linder, Mr.
Green of Texas, Mr. Spratt, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Price of North Carolina,
Mr. McDermott, Mrs. Thurman, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Stark, Mr. George Miller
of California, Mr. Baird, Mr. Reyes, Ms. McCarthy of Missouri, Mr.
Cramer, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Minge, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Bartlett of
Maryland, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Frost, and Ms. DeLauro) submitted
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the condemnation of the continued egregious violations of
human rights in the Republic of Belarus, the lack of progress toward
the establishment of democracy and the rule of law in Belarus, calling
on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime to engage in negotiations
with the representatives of the opposition and to restore the
constitutional rights of the Belarusian people, and calling on the
Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty of Belarus.
Whereas the United States has a vital interest in the promotion of democracy
abroad and supports democracy and economic development in the Republic
of Belarus;
Whereas in the Fall of 1996, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka devised
a controversial referendum to impose a new constitution on Belarus and
abolish the Parliament, the 13th Supreme Soviet, replacing it with a
rubber-stamp legislature;
Whereas President Lukashenka organized a referendum in violation of the 1994
Belarusian Constitution, which illegally extended his term of office to
2001;
Whereas Lukashenka's legal term in office expired in July 1999;
Whereas Belarus has effectively become an authoritarian police state, where
human rights are routinely violated;
Whereas Belarusian economic development is stagnant and living conditions are
deplorable;
Whereas in May 1999, the Belarusian opposition challenged Lukashenka's
unconstitutional lengthening of his term by staging alternative
presidential elections, unleashing the government crackdown;
Whereas the leader of the opposition, Semyon Sharetsky, was forced to flee
Belarus to the neighboring Baltic state of the Republic of Lithuania in
fear for his life;
Whereas several leaders of the opposition, including Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly
Krasovsky, and Yuri Zakharenka have disappeared;
Whereas the Belarusian regime harasses and persecutes the independent media and
works to actively suppress freedom of speech;
Whereas former Prime Minister Mikhail Chygir, who was a candidate in the
opposition's alternative presidential elections in May 1999, was held in
pretrial detention on trumped up charges from April through November
1999;
Whereas the Lukashenka regime provoked the clashes between riot police and
demonstrators at the October 17, 1999, ``Freedom March'', which resulted
in injuries to demonstrators and scores of illegal arrests;
Whereas hundreds of peaceful demonstrators and over thirty journalists were
arrested during a March 25, 2000, pro-democracy rally in Miensk, once
again illustrating the Lukashenka regime's disregard for freedom of
assembly, association, and information;
Whereas the Lukashenka regime has refused to engage in meaningful dialogue with
the opposition and has used the tactics of delay and obfuscation in
disregarding the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE)-mediated dialogue process;
Whereas genuine dialogue with the opposition and legitimate, free and fair
elections cannot take place in the present climate of repression and
fear existing in Belarus;
Whereas on April 3, 1996, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin and
President Lukashenka signed an agreement to form a Union State of Russia
and Belarus;
Whereas there have been credible press reports that the Government of the
Russian Federation has been providing assistance to the Lukashenka
regime since the signing of the agreement to form a Union State, such as
official Russian Federation Government credits, uncollected customs
duties, assistance for export sales of Belarusian arms and joint
manufacturing of arms, and reduced prices for energy supplies;
Whereas there has been a credible estimate cited in press reports that Russian
Federation economic subsidies to Belarus reached $1,500,000,000 to
$2,000,000,000 in 1996 and 1997 alone, enabling the Lukashenka regime to
maintain a large police force and state control of the economy;
Whereas the Union Treaty, signed on December 8, 1999, by Belarus and the Russian
Federation, undermines Belarus sovereignty and the prospect of
democracy;
Whereas the Consultative Council of Belarusian opposition parties appealed to
the Government of the Russian Federation, the State Duma, and the
Federation Council calling for a cessation of support for the Lukashenka
regime;
Whereas the former Chairmen of the Belarusian Supreme Soviet, Stanislav
Shushkevich and Semyon Sharetsky, have stated that economic support from
the Russian Federation has been crucial to the survival of the
Lukashenka regime;
Whereas a Union Treaty between the Russian Federation and Belarus was ratified
by the Russian Parliament and the illegitimate parliament of Belarus;
Whereas the Union Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Lukashenka
regime violates Russian Federation Government respect for the
sovereignty of Belarus per the memorandum on security guarantees signed
by Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin at the December 1994
Summit of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Heads of
State in Budapest, Hungary; and
Whereas the introduction of any nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, a
declared non-nuclear state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, would be a violation of Belarus's obligations under
that Treaty: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) condemns continued egregious violations of human rights
by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime in the Republic of
Belarus;
(2) further condemns the Lukashenka regime's conviction and
sentencing of Andrei Klimov, Vasiliy Leonov, and Vladimir
Koudinov on politically motivated charges and urges their
release;
(3) is gravely concerned about the disappearances of Viktor
Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, and Yuri Zakharenka and calls on
the Lukashenka regime to ensure a full and timely investigation
of these cases;
(4) calls for immediate dialogue between the Lukashenka
regime and the opposition and the restoration of a
democratically elected government in Belarus;
(5) urges the Lukashenka regime to respect and ensure the
human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including those
members of the opposition who are currently being illegally
detained in violation of their constitutional rights and
further urges the regime to respect the rule of law and an
independent judiciary;
(6) further urges Lukashenka to hold legitimate, free and
fair parliamentary elections in accordance with Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards;
(7) supports the appeal by the Consultative Council of
Belarusian opposition parties to the Government of the Russian
Federation, the State Duma, and the Federation Council calling
for a cessation of support for the Lukashenka regime;
(8) calls on the international community to support the
opposition in Belarus by continuing to meet with the
legitimately elected parliament;
(9) supports Belarus's sovereignty, independence, and
territorial integrity, as well as its market democratic
transformation and integration among the broader trans-Atlantic
community of nations;
(10) calls on the President of the United States--
(A) to ensure assistance to and cooperation with
Belarusian opposition figures;
(B) to ensure that adequate resources are made
available on an urgent basis to support those programs
aimed at strengthening independent media, human rights,
civil society, independent trade unions, and the
democratic opposition in Belarus; and
(C) to support the free flow of information into
Belarus;
(11) calls on the President of the United States to raise
the issue of financial support provided by the Russian
Federation to the Lukashenka regime at the highest levels of
the Russian Federation Government;
(12) calls on the President of the United States to urge
the Government of the Russian Federation, in accordance with
its international commitments, to fully respect the sovereignty
of Belarus, particularly in light of the illegitimate nature of
the Lukashenka regime; and
(13) calls on the President of the United States to prepare
and transmit to the Congress a report on--
(A) the human rights situation, democratic process,
elections, independence of the media, and the
Lukashenka regime's control of the economy in Belarus;
(B) the steps undertaken by the United States to
persuade the Russian Federation Government to end
support to the Lukashenka regime in Belarus; and
(C) the status of Russian Federation-Belarus
military integration.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
Mr. Gilman moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2425-2428)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Con. Res. 304.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2434-2435)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 409 - 2, 2 Present (Roll no. 134).(text: CR H2425-2426)
Roll Call #134 (House)On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 409 - 2, 2 Present (Roll no. 134). (text: CR H2425-2426)
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Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported to Senate by Senator Helms without amendment and with a preamble. Without written report.
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported to Senate by Senator Helms without amendment and with a preamble. Without written report.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 594.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S5757)
Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5757)
Message on Senate action sent to the House.