 |
Compact version |
|
 |
        |
|
 |
||
|
Thursday, 21 November 2024
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
|
RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 164, 01-08-29Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 164, 29 August 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS TIES WITH ARMENIA EXCELLENTElizabeth Jones, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, told Armenian officials in Yerevan on 28 August that relations between the U.S. and Armenia are "excellent," RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The Mediamax news agency, however, said that she appeared to rule out any direct participation in peace talks by Stepanakert, something Armenia has pushed. At the same time, that agency said, she indicated that the Armenian-Turkish "reconciliation commission" is a purely private initiative with which Washington has nothing to do. PG[02] ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SIGNS LAW REQUIRING PROPERTY DECLARATIONS BY OFFICIALSPresident Robert Kocharian has signed into law legislation requiring senior government officials to file declarations about their property holdings and incomes, Noyan Tapan reported on 28 August. The measure is intended to help the government fight corruption in the bureaucracy. PG[03] INVALIDS FROM KARABAKH WAR DEMAND TO RECEIVE THEIR PENSIONSA group of former soldiers who became invalids in the Karabakh war demonstrated in front of the government building in Yerevan on 27 August to demand that the authorities pay their pensions, Arminfo reported. Some of them have not received their monthly pensions of 16,000 drams ($29) for three months. PG[04] ARMENIA, LEBANON SIGN MILITARY-TECHNICAL AGREEMENTArmenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian met with his Lebanese counterpart Halil Hrawi in Beirut on 28 August and signed a bilateral military and military-technical cooperation agreement, Interfax reported. PG[05] AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT, IRANIAN DIPLOMAT DISCUSS CASPIAN STATUSPresident Heidar Aliev on 28 August received Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani to discuss the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijani TV reported. The two outlined the disagreements existing between their two countries but called for the intensification of negotiations rather than any future use of force to resolve them. PG[06] ITERA CHIEF PROMISES TO SUPPLY MORE GAS TO AZERBAIJANIgor Makarav, the head of the Itera gas distribution company, told President Aliev on 28 August that his company will supply approximately 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Azerbaijan this year and 4 billion in 2002, Turan reported. PG[07] INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPRESENTATIVES VISIT AZERBAIJANI REFUGEE CAMPSOfficials from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, and the UN Development Program on 27 August visited Azerbaijani refugee camps as part of their effort to evaluate the refugee situation in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's ANS TV reported. The financial institutions are considering approving a large credit to Baku to alleviate the conditions of the refugees. PG[08] MOVES ON THE AZERBAIJANI MEDIA FRONTAn Azerbaijani court on 28 August ruled that a government paper insulted the editor of the opposition paper "Yeni Musavat" and must apologize and pay a fine, "Yeni Musavat" reported. Meanwhile, Ali Hasanov, the chief of the public political division of the presidential administration, told Turan the same day that Azerbaijanis plan to improve legislation in the media area and establish a public television channel in 2002. PG[09] PEOPLES' FRONT PARTY LEADER AZERBAIJANIZES HIS NAMEAli Karimov, the head of the reformist wing of the Azerbaijan Peoples' Front Party, said that in the future he will use the Azerbaijani rather than the Russian ending of his name and become Ali Karimli, "Yeni Musavat" reported on 28 August. PG[10] GEORGIAN SPEAKER WARNS THAT COUNTRY IS ON BRINK OF CATASTROPHEParliamentary Chairman Zurab Zhvania said in an open letter to President Eduard Shevardnadze that the country is on the brink of catastrophe, Caucasus Press reported on 28 August. Shevardnadze for his part said that he shares the concerns expressed by Zhvania, but Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Vakhtang Tcheulishvili said that the open letter is an attempt at blackmailing Shevardnadze into making concessions to the parliament, Caucasus Press reported the same day. PG[11] U.S. SUPPORTS WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN BASES FROM ABKHAZIAJones, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, said in Tbilisi on 27 August that Washington supports the withdrawal of Russian bases from the breakaway Abkhaz republic, Caucasus Press reported. On the same day, President Shevardnadze said he will make a two-day visit to the U.S. at the end of September. PG[12] KAZAKH PRESIDENT DECRIES SOVIET NUCLEAR TESTING IN HIS REPUBLICKazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev on 28 August denounced the continuing impact of Soviet nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk test range in Kazakhstan, Russian and Western news agencies reported. "Kazakhstan was the only country in the world where an inhumane totalitarian regime carried out experiments without regard for the ecology or health of the population, even though these problems were known about," Nazarbaev said while presenting his book about the problem, "The Epicenter of the World," to an audience that included former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. At the same time, Nazarbaev indicated that he "does not rule out" the possibility that low and medium radioactive materials might eventually be imported into Kazakhstan for permanent storage. PG[13] KAZAKHSTAN PROSECUTORS DEMAND 12-YEAR SENTENCE FOR FORMER PRIME MINISTERProsecutors in Astana on 28 August said that former Kazakh Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin should be sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with confiscation of property for his crimes against the people of Kazakhstan, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Kazhegeldin is being tried in absentia. PG[14] KAZAKHSTAN TO CREATE NAVAL DETACHMENT TO DEFEND ITS OIL PLATFORMSThe Kazakhstan Defense Ministry on 28 August announced that it will soon form a navy detachment to defend its oil platforms in the Caspian Sea, Kazakh Commercial TV reported. PG[15] POSSIBILITY OF DUAL KYRGYZ-RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP QUESTIONEDZeina Kurmanov, the head of the rightist coalition in the Kyrgyz parliament, said on 28 August that there is inadequate legal foundation for dual citizenship between Kyrgyzstan and Russia and that the country's Constitutional Court is not likely to approve the introduction of such citizenship anytime soon, Interfax reported. PG[16] TAJIKISTAN'S UPPER HOUSE APPROVES AMNESTYThe upper chamber of the Tajikistan parliament on 28 August approved the amnesty law passed by the lower house a week ago, Asia-Plus reported. Almost 12,000 prisoners will be released, and another 7,000 will see their sentences reduced under the provisions of the new law. PG[17] TURKMEN PRESIDENT PUTS OFF CASPIAN SUMMITSaparmurat Niyazov on 27 August said that a summit of Caspian Sea countries originally planned for late October in Ashgabat will now take place in November or December, Interfax reported the following day. PG[18] TURKMENISTAN URGES FOLLOWING TURKISH MODEL IN EDUCATIONPresident Niyazov on 28 August told the leaders of his country's higher educational institutions that the country's educational system must be "radically" transformed, Interfax reported. He said that it should copy the work of Turkish organizations that have opened 19 schools in the republic in the last decade. PG[19] THOUSANDS OF UZBEKS SAID READY TO FLEE ARAL SEA AREAIranian radio from Mashhad on 28 August said that thousands of families residing in Uzbekistan's Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast are preparing to move into Kazakhstan because of water and health problems arising from the drying out of the Aral Sea. PG[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[20] WEAPONS COLLECTION ENTERS THIRD DAY IN MACEDONIANATO officials said near Gostivar that weapons collection is proceeding "very well" and that the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (UCK) "are compliant," BBC Television reported on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline, " 28 August 2001). Guerrillas lined up to hand in weapons and uniforms near Tetovo the previous day. The UCK issued demobilization papers to its fighters, "The Independent" reported. One commander, known as Xhaxhi, warned, however, that the guerrillas will rearm if NATO leaves. It is not clear whether he spoke for other commanders or only for himself. Many ethnic Albanians fear that Macedonian security forces and paramilitaries will launch revenge killings when Operation Essential Harvest ends (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 August 2001). NATO stresses that its main aim is to promote mutual self-confidence between Macedonians and Albanians so that the political settlement can work. PM[21] ROBERTSON ARRIVES IN MACEDONIANATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson arrived in Skopje on 29 August to assess the progress of Operation Essential Harvest, dpa reported. He will meet with President Boris Trajkovski, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski, Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski, and parliament speaker Stojan Andov. The legislature is scheduled to begin discussing the comprehensive political settlement on 31 August. Georgievski, Boskovski, and Andov have publicly stated their reservations about the agreement (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 August 2001). PM[22] MACEDONIANS RETURN TO LESOK FOR ASSUMPTION DAYSeveral hundred ethnic Macedonians attended an Orthodox Assumption Day celebration in Lesok on 28 August, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. British paratroopers looked on, as did UCK fighters in the hills above. The celebration took place amid the ruins of a church, which was largely destroyed recently under unexplained circumstances (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 21 August 2001 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 28 August 2001). Many of the Macedonians who attended the celebration said, however, that they do not feel safe enough to return permanently to their homes in Lesok, from which the UCK drove them in July (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 July 2001). Elsewhere, UNHCR officials in Skopje warned displaced persons against returning to their homes in rural areas before the security situation sufficiently improves. PM[23] NATO DETAINS ALBANIANS ON KOSOVA-MACEDONIA BORDERIn what is becoming almost a daily occurrence, KFOR troops stopped and arrested 32 ethnic Albanians entering Kosova from Macedonia, AP reported from Prishtina on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 and 28 August 2001). A KFOR spokesman said that unidentified persons fired on U.S. troops in the same area in a separate incident. The troops had responded to a call of "NATO, NATO help!" from unidentified persons in a forest. The gunmen then "fled the scene." PM[24] SERBIAN COALITION TO STAY TOGETHER -- WITH PROBLEMS UNRESOLVEDLeaders of the 18-member governing Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) agreed in Belgrade on 28 August to remain a coalition, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. They failed to resolve the mutual recriminations arising from what has become known as the Gavrilovic affair (see "RFE/RL South Slavic Report," 30 August 2001). Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said that his Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will work with DOS but not participate in the Serbian cabinet. He added that "tonight's long discussion was encouraging because it pointed at corruption and crime as phenomena which shake many societies in transition and particularly ours." Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic warned that "spreading slander and uncorroborated claims undermines the country's credibility, makes it difficult to attract foreign investment, and slows down the country's economic recovery," Reuters reported. PM[25] U.S. AGREES TO LIFT SERBIAN ARMS EMBARGOThe U.S. has joined France and Russia in calling for an end to the UN arms embargo against Belgrade, "The Washington Post" reported on 29 August (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 24 August 2001). Critics charge that lifting the embargo will deny the international community needed leverage to encourage Serbia to cooperate with The Hague-based war crimes tribunal. PM[26] MONTENEGRIN FOREIGN MINISTER: YUGOSLAV EMBASSIES DO NOT SPEAK FOR PODGORICAMontenegrin Foreign Minister Branko Lukovac said in Podgorica on 27 August that he and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic have failed to resolve differences between their two ministries regarding Montenegro's diplomatic representation abroad, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He added that Yugoslav diplomatic missions abroad were set up and staffed without the approval of Podgorica, which does not recognize the federal government as legitimately elected. Lukovac stressed that Yugoslav ambassadors abroad have no right to speak in Montenegro's name. Montenegro previously established its own "offices" in several foreign countries and former Yugoslav republics. PM[27] MONTENEGRIN MURDER MYSTERY ABOUT TO BE SOLVED?The Montenegrin Interior Ministry said on 28 August that it has determined the identity of five persons from Kosova involved in a recent violent incident near Plav, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 28 August 2001). The ministry made its investigations in cooperation with the international police force in Kosova. The ministry added that "greed" was the likely motive for the attack on several log- cutters, which left one of them dead and another injured. PM[28] CROATIAN WAR CRIMES SUSPECT SURRENDERSIvan Orlovic, a former policeman, surrendered to police in Bjelovar on 28 August, AP reported. His lawyer said that he learned through the media that he was sought for war crimes stemming from the killing of seven Serbs in 1991. He will plead innocent to the charges. Luka Markesic, Zdenko Radic, and Zoran Maras were arrested in conjunction with the same incident the previous week. PM[29] BOSNIAN SERB LEADER CALLS FOR CLARIFICATION OF RESPONSIBILITIESZivko Radisic, the Serbian representative on the joint presidency, said in Banja Luka on 28 August that it is necessary to more clearly define the responsibilities of the two entities, the central administration, and the international community, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He warned that there is an unacceptable tendency to strengthen the center at the expense of the entities. PM[30] NEW POLITICAL PARTY TO BE SET UP IN TRANSYLVANIASabin Gherman, a university lecturer that has long promoted decentralization and devolution of the "national state's" centralized power, on 28 August announced in Oradea that a new political party promoting those goals will be set up "by the end of this year," Romanian radio reported the next day. The new formation is to be called Pro-Transylvania and Gherman said three members of the parliament representing Bihor County are ready to join him in promoting those goals, though he refused to name the three. Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on 24 August warned against "federalist trends" in Romania and specifically mentioned among those promoting this "danger" Gherman and his book "Luxurious Motherland." Gherman said in reaction on 28 August that Nastase "understands nothing" from the books and is "driven by apprehensions to lose his electorate." On 28 August, the parliamentary commission supervising the activities of the Romanian Information Service (SRI) requested that the SRI provide it with information on "revisionist" and "federalization tendencies" and commission Chairman Ioan Stan said the law on SRI activities must be amended to allow it to deal with "new threats to national security, such as the danger of federalization and other revisionist aspects," Mediafax reported. MS[31] ROMANIA'S HUNGARIAN ETHNIC PARTY RENEWS DEMAND TO ABOLISH 'NATIONAL STATE'Bela Marko, chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR), on 28 August said his party has never accepted Romania's definition as a "national state" in Article 1 of the constitution and within the pending debates on amending the basic document the UDMR will demand that this article be modified, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Marko emphasized that the UDMR is not opposed to Romania's designation in the same article as a "unitary state," which by implication rules out federalization. MS[32] ROMANIA'S NASTASE, MEDGYESSY DISAGREE ON STATUS LAWPeter Medgyessy, the Hungarian Socialist Party's candidate for premiership, on 28 August disagreed in Bucharest with Premier Nastase over the significance of Hungary's Status Law, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Medgyessy said that although his party has some misgivings over the formulation of some of the law's articles, it has supported it in the parliament because the law's main purpose is to allow "members of the Magyar communities" in neighboring countries to "feel at home" where they live and "safeguard their national identity." He said this applies to Romania as well and assured Nastase that, himself being born in Romania, Medgyessy is particularly interested in promoting ties between the two countries and that Romanian culture "is close to my heart." Nastase said in reaction that Hungarian politicians "display little understanding for Romanian sensitivities" and again mentioned the recently restored monument to Trianon. Medgyessy also met with Democratic Party leader Traian Basescu and with Marko. MS[33] PRM WANTS REFERENDUM ON ROMANIAN RESTITUTION LAW...The Greater Romania Party (PRM) on 28 August announced it is demanding that President Ion Iliescu call a plebiscite on the restitution of real estate, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. PRM deputy Daniela Buruiana-Aprodu, a deputy chairwoman of the parliamentary commission overseeing the activity of the SRI, also managed to have the commission approve a resolution demanding that the SRI investigate to what extent property restitution "affects the country's national security." MS[34] ...AND WANTS TO ABOLISH COMMISSION STUDYING SECURITATE ARCHIVESBuruiana-Aprodu also said the PRM wants the law that established the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS) to be abolished "within three years at most" and that other members of the commission overseeing SRI activities share her opinion. She accused unnamed CNSAS members of having leaked to the media secret information from the archives "during trips abroad" and said new legislation establishing sanctions for such information leaks must be passed. According to Romanian Radio, relations between CNSAS members and the commission have "deteriorated as of late" and commission Chairman Ioan Stan is backing the envisaged sanctions. MS[35] MOLDOVAN COMMUNIST LEADER CALLS FOR LEGALIZING STATIONING OF RUSSIAN TROOPS IN TRANSDNIESTERParty of Moldovan Communists parliamentary group leader Victor Stepanciuc on 28 August called for negotiations on the status of the Russian contingent in the Transdniester, Romanian Radio reported. Stepaniuc said that although Moldova has previously called for the withdrawal of the Russian troops in line with OSCE decisions, "it would not be a mistake" to negotiate their status and make possible their continued stationing there. He said that "Russia has important strategic interests in Moldova" and Moldova "is a small country that can benefit from negotiations with its more powerful neighbors." MS[36] EUROPEAN COURT SETS DEADLINE FOR MOLDOVAN PROPOSALS OVER CHURCH CONFLICT SETTLEMENTThe European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on 28 August set 1 September as the deadline for the submission by the Moldovan government of its proposals for settling the conflict with the Bessarabian Orthodox Church, Infotag reported. The Bessarabian Church, which is subordinate to the Bucharest Patriarchate, filed a complaint to the court following repeated refusals by consecutive Moldovan governments to register the church. The cabinet headed by Vasile Tarlev said it is ready to settle the conflict and requested that the court postpone the examination of the complaint. MS[37] MACEDONIA POLICIES TURNED INTO BULGARIAN POLITICAL STRIFESocialist Party (BSP) leader Georgi Parvanov on 28 August met with Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski, briefing him on his recent visit to Macedonia at the invitation of the Macedonian Social Democratic Alliance Chairman Branco Crvenkovski, BTA reported. Parvanov told journalists after the meeting that NATO Operation Essential Harvest in Macedonia is "a vital step" toward a peaceful solution but "no guarantee for it." He said more actions are needed in support of the Macedonian government, "including from Bulgaria," and that such support should come primarily in the form of economic support and of "a firmer moral and political support." Parvanov added that this support must be different from that extended by the previous government, which allegedly has used the Macedonian issue for electoral purposes. He also said that "the idea of sending Bulgarian troops to Macedonia should not even be considered." Reacting to his statements, the Union of Democratic Forces said Parvanov has become the "mouthpiece" of "anti-Bulgarian and anti-NATO circles in Macedonia." MS[38] BULGARIA TO UPGRADE MIGSGeneral Dimitar Georgiev, the commander of the Air Defense Corps of the Bulgarian air force, on 28 August told journalists that Bulgaria cannot at this stage afford to purchase either new or refurbished U.S.-made F-16 fighters, because it does not have the necessary funds, BTA and AP reported. The previous government said it was considering replacing Bulgaria's fleet of 21 MiG-29s with F-16s that would fulfill NATO requirements. Georgiev said that even refurbished U.S. fighters would necessitate large investments in "new navigation and auxiliary equipment." He said Bulgaria will for now upgrade 4 to 6 MiG 29s. He also said the air force cannot support the costs of 180 flight hours per pilot required by NATO standards and that only those pilots selected for participation in joint exercises with NATO will get that training. MS[C] END NOTE[39] BELARUSIAN PRISON OFFICIAL CONFIRMS DEATH SQUAD ALLEGATIONSBy Jan MaksymiukIn an interview with the Minsk-based independent "Belorusskaya delovaya gazeta" on 22 August, Aleh Alkayeu, the warden of Minsk's death-row prison, confirmed allegations that top Belarusian officials and an elite police unit (SOBR) were involved in the killing of opposition figures Yury Zakharanka and Viktar Hanchar as well as Hanchar's friend, businessman Anatol Krasouski, in 1999. Public opinion in Belarus obtained information about the fate of Zakharanka, Hanchar, and Krasouski in June 2001, when former Belarusian investigators Dzmitry Petrushkevich and Aleh Sluchak fled to the U.S. and subsequently disclosed some details of the investigation in which they were involved. According to Petrushkevich and Sluchak, Zakharanka, Hanchar, Krasouski, and ORT cameraman Dzmitry Zavadski were killed by SOBR people who were organized into a "death squad" under the command of Interior Ministry officer Dzmitry Paulyuchenka, following orders from Security Council Secretary Viktar Sheyman and Interior Minister Yury Sivakou. The death squad allegedly tested its killing method on criminals before moving on to political murders. According to the two former investigators, the death squad killed some 30 people in total. Petrushkevich and Sluchak also disclosed that prosecutors and KGB investigators discovered the existence of the death squad during the investigation of the Zavadski case and arrested Paulyuchenka. Former Prosecutor-General Aleh Bazhelka made an attempt to find Zavadski's body -- which was allegedly buried in the Northern Cemetery in Minsk -- but was prevented from doing so by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In a surprising security shake-up in November 2000, Lukashenka sacked Bazhelka and replaced him with Sheyman. The Belarusian president also fired KGB Chairman Uladzimir Matskevich and appointed Leanid Yeryn to lead Belarus's secret police. Sheyman ordered Paulyuchenka's release from jail. According to suppositions voiced in some Russian and Belarusian media, Lukashenka paid for Matskevich's silence by financing his treatment abroad and appointing him Belarusian ambassador to Yugoslavia. The current whereabouts of Bazhelka are not known -- there have been rumors reported by Belarusian independent media that Bazhelka is in Russia awaiting the outcome of Belarus's presidential election. Last month, Uladzimir Hancharyk -- the head of the Trade Union Federation and one of the contestants in Belarus's presidential race -- made public documents confirming the complicity of Sheyman and Sivakou in the killing of Zakharanka, Hanchar, and Krasouski. Hancharyk presented a photocopy of a report written by the former chief of the police department for criminal investigation, Mikalay Lapatsik, to Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumau. Lapatsik said in the report that Sheyman ordered SOBR to kill Zakharanka, Hanchar, and Krasouski. The three were allegedly killed by shots from a pistol used for executions in SIZO-1, Minsk's death-row prison. The documents mention Aleh Alkayeu, who gave the weapon to those officers following orders from his superiors. Alkayeu, who is currently in Germany, said in an interview with "Belorusskaya delovaya gazeta" on 22 August and confirmed in another interview with "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" on 24 August that the documents revealed by Hancharyk are authentic. Alkayeu confirmed that he gave the weapon used for executions on two occasions to people from the Interior Ministry -- on 30 April 1999 (the pistol was returned on 14 May, while Zakharanka disappeared on 7 May), and on 16 September (the pistol was returned on 18 September, while Hanchar and Krasouski disappeared on 16 September in the evening). Alkayeu said that on both occasions the receipt and return of the pistol were noted in a special book and countersigned, adding that he is in the possession of that book. Alkayeu was responsible for carrying out the death sentences at SIZO-1. During his service term, the death penalty was invoked 130 times and always with the same pistol, a PB-9 with a silencer, which was fired into the back of prisoners' heads. Alkayeu was present at all 130 executions. Alkayeu said, however, that one time he was ordered to break the execution routine by allowing an outsider -- SOBR commander Paulyuchenka -- to be present at an execution of five convicts. "On that day five people were executed," Alkayeu told "Belorusskaya delovaya gazeta." "[Paulyuchenka] was present at the execution of each of them. At one moment, he asked the executioner why the man shoots in the head instead of in the heart. 'If you shot in the heart -- [Paulyuchenka] says -- there would be less blood.' This question struck me: a man who has never killed anybody cannot know how to shoot better and how much blood is let from where... In connection with this, I want to emphasize: the pistol with which the death penalty is carried out in SIZO is intended only for shooting people and only at point-blank range." Why should Paulyuchenka and his alleged death squad use the very same pistol meant for executions? Alkayeu offered two explanations to "Belorusskaya delovaya gazeta": "[This pistol] was necessary to impart a ritual of execution to a killing. In order to relieve some of the burden of responsibility from people performing this act: here you have a special weapon -- this is not a killing, this is a sentence to be carried out. Possibly, there even was a verdict. A false one. Sivakou likes various rituals," Alkayeu said. Alkayeu also said this method for killing political opponents of the regime might have been invented to dump the blame on him. Alkayeu noted that should Lukashenka lose the 9 September election, dozens of people who are now intimidated and afraid would promptly agree to testify, and the mystery of the disappearances of opposition figures in Belarus would be solved "within a week." 29-08-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
All Rights Reserved.