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Human rights defenders inform Council of Europe, OSCE, EU about controversial draft laws

Belarusian human rights defenders have provided information to the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the European Union about controversial draft laws that are expected to take effect in the country soon, Aleh Hulak, chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, told reporters in Minsk on October 13.

He was referring to the recently approved amendments to the Mass Events Law and laws governing the operation of political parties and NGOs, as well as a bill of amendments to the law governing the operation of the Committee for State Security (KGB) that is expected to pass the legislature soon.

According to the activist, the government is seeking to further use the KGB for cracking down on its political opponents. "The government has drawn conclusions from people's activity this past spring and summer. The changes are meant to legalize the illegal methods and actions that we criticized. This is a humiliation of the system of law," he said.

Mr. Hulak criticized the phrase "other cases determined by the president" that the amendments to the law governing KGB operations contain. "It is not clear whether the public will have an opportunity to know such cases or such decisions will be made in secrecy. If in secrecy, this will mean that the president is exceeding his powers and I have no idea whether he knows that or he is set up," he said.

Definitions and terms that the draft laws contain are too vague and may be interpreted differently, Mr. Hulak said, warning that the authorities could use the laws to treat "well-founded" criticism of the situation in Belarus as a threat to national security.

Speaking at the news conference, human rights defender Valyantsin Stefanovich noted that the draft laws would make it possible to "prosecute any person on any grounds." //BelaPAN