Talks with Lukashenka Only After Release of Political Prisoners – Politics and Civil Society Digest
Mikola Statkevich and other political prisoners
Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced on Monday his willingness to begin talks with the opposition on the future of Belarus. Yesterday Belarusian opposition leaders dismissed any talks until all political prisoners are released. As this digest demonstrates, despite their rhetoric, the authorities show few signs that they are ready to release political prisoners or reduce their repressions.
POLITICS
Criminal cases against Natalia Radzina, Aleh Korban and Anatol Liabedzka terminated. On 23 August 2011 criminal proceedings against Natalia Radzina, Oleg Korban and Anatoly Lebedko in a criminal case on mass riots in Minsk on December 19 were terminated due to a lack of evidence. In total, 43 people were convicted under articles of the Criminal Code for organization or participating in post-election protests on December 19th. Most of those convicted are serving prison terms of various lengths; they include three ex-presidential candidates: Andrei Sannikov (5 years), Mikola Statkevich (6 years), Dzmitry Us (5.5 years).
Ales Byalyatsky. The Office of Financial Investigations (UDFR) of State Control Committee refused to release Ales Byalyatsky despite calls from over 600 Belarusian citizens and influential foreign figures. Prominent Belarusian human rights activist Ales Byalyatsky faces up to seven years of imprisonment with confiscation of property for alleged tax evasion. The Belarusian authorities accused Ales Byalyatsky of failing to pay around BR 143.7 million in taxes (approx. $28,700). On August 22 the state TV channel BT showed a propaganda movie titled "Social shadows". BT portrayed Byalyatsky as a thief and a liar.
Pickets in support of Ales Byalyatsky. On August 23, six activists were detained following a picket in support of Ales Byalyatsky staged in downtown Minsk. They were all released later without charges. On August 23, two journalists and a civil activist were detained as a result of a picket in support of Byalyatsky in Mogilev. Two hours later the detainees were released without charge.
Lithuanian journalists banned from entering Belarus. The LTV Lithuanian television was refused entry to Belarus, after journalist Ruta Lankininkaite was declared a persona non-grata by the Belarusian border troops. The journalists were expected to shoot a report on the current economic crisis in Belarus.
Ministry of Justice refused to register "Tell the truth!" as an NGO. On August 22, the Ministry of Justice refused to register the research and educational NGO "Tell the truth!," headed by a presidential candidate in the 2010 elections Vladimir Neklyaev. The decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court.
CIVIL SOCIETY
"Stop Benzin" protest. On August 22, the latest "Stop Benzin" action was held in Minsk because of the 3% increase in petrol prices. The traffic police did not allow the action to go forth, and blocked the entrances to the central part of Independence Avenue. But, according to Director of “For Auto” NGO Artiom Sharkov, the action did take place nonetheless, as its main goal was not to take over the streets, but to articulate protest to the authorities. Adam Byalyatsky, son of human rights activist Ales Byalyatsky, was detained during the action and later fined BR 350,000 (or approximately $70).
Free Parking. "The Republican Association of Persons in Wheelchairs" NGO together with the road police are conducting a long-term "Free Parking" campaign. The purpose of the action is to draw public attention to the on-going problem of the inappropriate use of parking spaces for the disabled. The NGO is gathering volunteers to help in the campaign.
Educational study-tours. The Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, Institute for Public Affairs (Poland), and European Partnership for Democracy (Belgium) are organizing educational visits to Warsaw (for students and young professionals) and Brussels (for NGO activists and civil society). Visits will take place in November and October 2011 respectively.
Belarus Digest prepared this overview on the basis of materials provided by Pact. This digest attempts to give a richer picture of the recent political and civil society events in Belarus. It often goes beyond the hot stories already available in English-language media.
No Belarusian Roubles Please
Currency exchange office in Belarus
If you are in Belarus and only have Belarusian roubles to pay for your ticket – be prepared to stay in the country a bit longer. AirBaltic and some other companies operating in Belarus no longer accept Belarusian roubles. Instead they insist on payments in Euros – a currency which is nearly impossible to buy legally in Belarus. Today it became even more difficult as the National Bank of Belarus recommended commercial banks only to buy, but not to sell, foreign currency.
This is because local banks have to follow the official exchange rate established by the National Bank. Over the last months this rate has been nearly 40% lower than the market rate. No wonder that very few want to exchange money in banks and most people prefer the black market. "Don't exchange money in Belarusian banks" is the first tip given to those who visit Belarus these days.
No trust in Belarusian roubles
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Belarusians mistrust their currency. When millions lost their lifetime savings because of the devaluation of the Soviet rouble in the late 1980s – it was a lesson they learnt well. Nowadays Belarusians prefer to keep their earnings in a "hard" foreign currency rather than in "soft" Belarusian roubles.
Currency exchange offices used to boom in Belarus – all major supermarkets would have at least one. Until 2011 they were always busy. Now because of the difference between the official and the market rate hardly anyone uses their services. Sometimes you can see one or two people sticking around exchange offices, desperately hoping that someone new to Belarus might sell his dollars or Euros and give them a chance to buy them. Until recently banks were recommended to sell foreign currency which was sold to them by individuals.
People try to convert their salaries into a hard currency as soon as they can. But they cannot survive with no Belarusian roubles at all because most shops accept only Belarusian money. As a result consumers have to frequently convert their savings back into Belarusian roubles. Each conversion is a dilemma – to look for someone who can purchase their Euro or dollars at a market rate or to sell their hard currency to a bank with a nearly 40% discount. The first option is inconvenient and against the law. The second one means losing nearly half of your money. For Belarusians struggling with rising prices and declining income, the choice is obvious.
Sometimes they do not need to exchange money to pay for services. Many in the private sector set their prices in US dollars to avoid devaluation. For instance, they would quote the price of 300 US dollars to refurbish your kitchen. The payment can be made in dollars and it is usually the most desired option. But unlike the AirBaltic office in Minsk, they would also accept Belarusian roubles at the market rate. In practice, the market rate means black market rate.
How the black market works
Because currency exchange operations require a special license from the National Bank, most transactions between individuals breach Belarusian law. Determining the right market rate can be tricky. Parties may bargain to get a better deal using word of mouth or the internet.
If you do not to have a friend or relative who can sell you Belarusian roubles or hard currency, you can try using the internet. Prokopovi.ch is the most popular online currency exchange market in Belarus. The site is named after the former Chairman of the National Bank of Belarus Piotr Prokopovich. Currency exchange problems began under his reign, though are attributable to the populist economic methods of Belarus promoted by Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka rather than to Prokopovich himself.
Those using the prokopovi.ch web site have two options. One is to agree the exchange rate online and go to a currency exchange office where the seller sells the agreed sum at the official rate. Then the buyer buys the sum at the official rate. Finally, the buyer directly pays the seller the difference between the official rate and the agreed market rate. Becaue of today's recommendation by the National Bank not to sell hard currency to individuals, this option may no longer work.
The other option is to avoid going to an exchange office altogether and exchange the money without intermediates. In this case, one takes the risk of facing sanctions of illegal dealing in foreign currency. Although the authorities usually turn a blind eye to such transactions, in some cases they may confiscate the whole amount of the illegal transaction and impose a hefty fine.
So if you come to Belarus with foreign currency – be prepared to take risks not to lose your money. That is what Belarusians have to do every day.
