2001 Policy Archive

U.S. Mission to OSCE on Government Actions Undermining Confidence in Elections (Aug. 23, 2001)

Statement by Ambassador David T. Johnson to the Permanent Council

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The United States shares the concerns that you and Mr. Duve have expressed with respect to the forthcoming elections in Belarus. We listened carefully this morning to our Belarusian colleague's presentation, but I must state candidly that we do not find it compelling. The late invitation and the visa denials to us constitute obstructions of ODIHR's observation efforts and are inconsistent with our common commitments made in Copenhagen and Istanbul.

We call upon Belarus to cooperate fully with ODIHR's team now on the ground to issue visas to the two individuals who have previously been denied and to issue visas and accreditation rapidly to short-term observers.

Free and fair elections consistent with the Copenhagen Document and the criteria established by the OSCE Troika represent an opportunity for Belarus -- an opportunity to end its isolation in Europe.

Unimpeded access to the media, the ability of domestic and international observers to do their work, and a political environment free from intimidation are essential components of a free and transparent electoral process and are principles to which we are all committed. The Belarusian Government's crackdown on the independent press, the domestic observation effort, and its own civil society call into question its intention to meet those standards.

As Mr. Duve noted in his statement, Belarusian authorities seized 400,000 copies of a special edition newspaper that reported agreement of five opposition candidates to support the candidacy of Vladimir Goncharik. Last night, the Magic publishing house was raided again by tax police, its two printing presses were sealed, and its bank account frozen. In addition, two press runs of a neighboring press were seized including opposition candidate Goncharik's election commission-approved election pamphlet. If the opposition cannot even inform the public about who it is and cannot distribute government-approved literature, it is difficult to say that it enjoys fair access to the media.

Attacks on the independent observation network continue. Presidential and Election officials have publicly declared the domestic election network and the parallel vote tabulation illegal. The Ministry of Justice has declared the network an unregistered organization. Meanwhile, on August 17, tax police, assisted by the BKGB, seized computers and other equipment at the domestic observation network's central office.

In addition, over just the last two weeks, authorities have seized equipment used by NGOs across the country. In the Grodno oblast, two resource centers were raided and computers were seized. In Orsha, a local branch of the Belarusian Free Trade Union and the independent newspaper Kutenia were raided and printing equipment seized. In Gomel, the Civil Initiative Center was raided, the center's deputy director was arrested, and computer equipment, manuals for domestic observers, and information material for voter mobilization were also seized.

These acts undermine confidence within the international community that the Belarusian authorities are committed to holding an election that meets OSCE standards. In this connection, respect for the central role of domestic and international election observation is crucial. We call on the Belarusian authorities to allow the domestic and international election network to conduct an unhindered observation.

This will require that observers, both domestic and international, enjoy uninterrupted overnight access to early voting and mobile voting, both of which, unobserved, provide opportunities for vote manipulation. They also need access to ballot distribution and the ballot box that is denied under the election code.

Precinct protocols currently are not subject to control once they leave the precinct for district and central re-tabulation. Such control is necessary to verify correspondence between the register and whoever signs it. In this and other crucial matters, we urge Belarusian authorities to implement ODIHR's recommendations.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, militia across Belarus have launched a sweep on activists of the youth movement Zubr. In Minsk, Vitebsk, and other towns, dozens of youth activists have been arrested, some solely for wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Time to Choose." These acts are contrary to Belarus' international commitments to free expression and association.

Mr. Chairman, the requirements for a free, fair, and transparent election are clear. Domestic and international respect for and relations with the government that emerges from a presidential election largely derive from confidence in its legitimacy. We thus urge Belarus to take all the necessary steps to meet international standards that will enable it to turn a new page in its relations with the international community.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.