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New Belarus democracy reauthorization act submitted to US House of Representatives

A bill extending the Belarus Democracy Act for 2011 and 2012 has been submitted to the US House of Representatives, BelaPAN said.

The draft law, named the "Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2011," was introduced by Representatives Christopher Smith, Dana Rohrabacher, Dan Burton and Frank Wolf.

The bill would continue and extend the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, which calls for assistance to Belarusian political parties, non-governmental organizations and independent media while prohibiting US government agencies from providing loans and investment to the Belarus government, except for humanitarian purposes. The Act was reauthorized in 2006 and 2008.

The bill features updated data on the situation in Belarus. According to the draft, the government of Belarus has engaged in a pattern of clear and uncorrected violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms and basic principles of democratic governance, including through a series of fundamentally flawed presidential and parliamentary elections undermining the legitimacy of the country's executive and legislative authority.

"The Government of Belarus has attempted to maintain a monopoly over the country's information space, targeting independent media, including independent journalists, for systematic reprisals and elimination, while suppressing the right to freedom of speech and expression of those dissenting from the dictatorship of Aleksandr [Alyaksandr] Lukashenka, and adopted laws restricting the media, including the Internet, in a manner inconsistent with international human rights agreements," the draft says.

In December 2010, the Belarusian government conducted a presidential election that failed to meet the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for democratic elections, the bill says.

The government responded to the opposition's post-election protests by beating an unknown number of protesters and detaining more than 600 peaceful protesters, the bill says, adding that seven of the nine opposition presidential candidates were jailed and that the process of criminal prosecution was abused to persecute them.

Subsequently, the government disrupted independent broadcast and Internet media, engaged in repressive actions against independent journalists, and refused to extend the mandate of the OSCE Office in Minsk, the bill notes.

The Belarusian government has failed to make a convincing effort to solve the 1999-2000 disappearances of Mr. Lukashenka's opponents, even though credible allegations and evidence links top government officials of the Government to these disappearance, the draft says.

It is the policy of the United States to condemn the conduct of the December 19 presidential election, continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters, continue to support the aspirations of the people of Belarus for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and continue to help democratic movements and institutions in Belarus, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in that country, the bill says.

It is also the policy of the US government to support calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections, conducted in a manner that is free and fair according to OSCE standards, the draft says.

The United States should "continue to work closely with the European Union and other countries and international organizations, to promote the conditions necessary for the integration of Belarus into the European family of democracies," the bill says.

According to it, the United States' policy toward Belarus may be revaluated when the Belarusian authorities make progress consistent with the goals of the Act.

Apart from support for human rights defenders, independent media, trade unions, youth groups, pro-democratic political parties, the draft also specifically calls for support for the Belarus Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Voice of America, and Belsat TV and European Radio for Belarus.

The bill says that the amount of funding to implement the reauthorized Act would not "exceed the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2008 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2014."

The Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2006 authorized $40 million for democracy-building activities in Belarus, such as support for non-governmental organizations and international exchanges, and $15 million for radio and television broadcasting to the country.