Lie and defamation by BelaPAN
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 10:59:49 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Lie and defamation by BelaPAN
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Evgeny Novikov <[email protected]>
Lie and defamation by BelaPAN
To: all governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations
Dear Sirs,
On November 12, 1999 Belarusian pro-governmental news' agency
"BelaPAN" distributed information about visit of the Ombudsman of
Russia Mr. Mironov to Belarus (full text is added below).
Unfortunately, I must state that this information of BelaPAN is great
lie and concrete rubbish. First of all it was very simple to meet with
Mr. Mironov - we made call to Russian Embassy 5 days before visit and
officers of Embassy included our League into the list of meetings.
Officers were very glad our call and told us that Mr. Mironov wants
very much to meet with many HR organizations ("as many as possible").
Officers underlined that each Organization can call them and ask about
meeting and they will arrange meeting with grate pleasure to exchange
information, by experience of HR job with Mr. Mironov.
My organization met with Mr. Mironov on 11th November 1999. There were
not only our League but also other organizations (list of these
organizations we passed to Mr. Mironov in the end of meeting). It was
interesting and very useful meeting in really - this is not only my
point of view. For us it was very interesting to talk about legal,
organizational, financial and many other points of daily work of
Ombudsman and his staff.
Both sides underlined that in Russia and in Belarus there are many
violations of human rights and we need to spend many efforts to
improve situation.
But Belarusian participants of meeting underlined that many other NGOs
in Belarus act as political parties in first sector and unfortunately
this Belarusian political opposition do not promote interests and will
of all democratic forces but only their nearest political plans (very
often even personal ones). I kept attention of Mr. Mironov that there
are very many political speculations and manipulations on human rights
problems in Belarus from side of political parties and concrete
politicians.
There were very many questions to Mr. Mironov on his practical job. In
conclusion we decided to continue to exchange legal, practical and
other information.
So, "most active human rights organizations" which refused to meet
with Russian Ombudsman won themselves (there are quotated words from
text of BelaPAN).
But next day Mr. Potemkin - officer of BelaPAN called me and with
smiling began to ask questions about this meeting. From first his
words I understood that this is typical beginning of provocation
against my organization.
He wanted me many times to confirm in telephone conversation that
there was only one our League in meeting with Mr. Mironov and that he
(Mr. Mironov) ultimately refused ("avoided") to meet with other NGOs.
I refused many times to confirm this open lie and told this officer of
BelaPAN that it is not possible to distribute such lie and defamation
for mass-media.
Answering his question I told that in times when Mr. Shushkevich and
Mr Grib were as leaders of Belarusian state (1991-1994) there were
some areas in which number of violations of human rights were even
more then now.
But "BelaPAN" deleted several concrete words from this my sentence
("there were some areas") and then other part of this my changed
sentence distributed for mass media.
This is very rough trying to discredit our organization and me
personally for international public opinion.
But why BelAPAN needs it? Answer is very simple - we have absolutely
correct information from first hand that BelaPAN had closed and
regular contacts with DUPLICATE Belarus League for Human Rights
(information about liquidation of this Belarusian pseudo-NGO on Law we
distributed several days ago).
There is another point. This is natural step from BelaPAN against real
League accounting on sources of financing of this so called "news'
agency". Defamation and provocations by distribution of lie and
manipulated information - this is typical tactic of such "news
agency".
But real Belarus Republican League for Human Rights continues to act.
We have HR experience enough to be ready to any such provocations. We
have technical facilities enough to distribute our answers to such
"news' agencies" over whole planet and to speak who is who in Belarus.
And last. It is very funny to hear (or to read) when one person speaks
about others persons as about "most active human rights organizations"
if to count on that they are friends. For why so much? Because in
next text for mass media they will change by places.
In really, this tragedy of Belarusian society is very deep if news
agency uses open lie and defamation as main tools against HR
organization.
Evgeny Novikov
Chairman of Belarus Republican League for Human Rights
Minsk, November 15,1999.
P/S: Our questions to BelAPAN: what could be grounds for Mr Mironov to
avoid meetings with NGOs from Belarus? Why to avoid? No logics. Level
of his status need him to find out to meet with lots of NGOs.
--------------------------------------------------------------
* Belarus/ human rights
Russia's human rights commissioner avoids meeting with representatives
of the most active human rights organizations in Belarus
Minsk, 12 November. Oleg Mironov, Russia's commissioner for human
rights, did not meet with representatives of the most active human
rights organizations during his recent visit to Belarus. The offices
of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Vyasna-96 and Khartiya-97 said
Mr. Mironov had not approached them for a meeting.
Mr. Mironov visited Belarus from November 8 to 11 at the invitation of
the country's leader and foreign ministry. He met with Aleksandr
Lukashenko, Foreign Minister Ural Latypov, the leaders of the House of
Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly, Justice Minister
Gennady Vorontsov and lecturers of the Belarusian State University.
Of a large variety of human rights organizations in Belarus, he chose
to meet with representatives of the Belarusian National League for
Human Rights (BNLHR) and several organizations known little to the
public.
BelaPAN asked Yevgeny Novikov, BNLHR head, to comment on the meeting
but he conditioned the meeting on the publication of the interview in
the press. He just said that there had been more human rights
violations in Belarus at the period when Stanislav Shushkevich and
Mecheslav Grib had been parliamentary speakers and heads of state than
during the rule of Aleksandr Lukashenko.
--
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