Microsoft: We didn't reveal content data of Belarusians

Microsoft Corporation again explained its stance on cooperation with the Belarusian security agencies.

Our website published an article about cooperation of Microsoft, Skype's owner, with Belarusian security agencies and disclosing data of 35 Belarusian Skype accounts. The company's representatives agreed to give a comment on the issue to charter97.org:

“Please be informed that in accordance with the information in Microsoft's report on requests to Microsoft from law enforcement authorities, Microsoft provides data to law enforcement agencies exclusively on the ground of requests from judicial authorities or equivalent duly executed requests, which Microsoft has all reasons to believe to be valid, and discloses only account information. If Microsoft has no reasonable grounds to believe that the requests are relevant to a criminal investigation, Microsoft does not disclose customer information.

Microsoft's lawyers considered all five requests from judicial agencies of Belarus relating to criminal investigations of, for example, frauds involving stolen credit cards. Please take note that in none of the cases were the data beyond the scope of account information and relating to content of customer communications revealed by Skype.”

We, for our part, would like to remind our readers and representatives of foreign organisations providing services to Belarusians that the Belarusian security services often abuse power and prosecute people on political motives. There is no independent judicial system in Belarus. On “absolutely legal” grounds, Belarusian law enforcers received bank information of Belarusian human rights activists from the law enforcement authorities of Lithuania and Poland that resulted in sentencing Ales Byalyatski, the head of Viasna human rights centre. Skype conversations were used as evidence at the trials over the events of December 19, 2010. Thirteen political prisoners still remain in jails.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Authorities look for replacement to Belarusians

Official Minsk tries to find a replacement to Belarusians, who massively leave the country.

In the near future the parliament will consider a draft law, providing for compensations for foreign specialists. The deficiency of qualified personnel forces Minsk to invite foreign specialists to the country. The authorities are ready to make additional payments, Deutsche Welle reports.

According to the draft law, talented foreign workers and specialists will be provided a compensation of the costs of moving to the country and a one-time payment of settlement allowance, the deputy head of the department for migration and work with foreign citizens of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Siarhei Herasimau told on 26 March. The amounts of the compensations and payments have not yet been announced. The draft law will be considered in the first reading during the spring session of the parliament which starts on 2 April. The authorities already attempted to lure foreigners into the country before. But who would want to work in Belarus?

Where have all the specialists gone?

More than 12 thousand foreign students are studying in Belarus from 88 countries of the world. Their large part came from Turkmenistan (around 6 thousand), China (more than 2 thousand) and Russia (more than a thousand). According to the information of the Education Ministry’s press-secretary Julija Vanina, the representatives of CIS countries, Central, South-East and South-West Asia will dominate among the foreign students in 2013.

If these alumnus want to stay in Belarus and work in their profession, than the draft law mentioned above will liberate them from the necessity to obtain special permissions for practicing labor activities in the country. The only thing is that a former Minister of Labour Aliaksandr Sasnou does not understand who and on what grounds will define the degree of talent of potenatial specialists of foreign origin. Sasnou claims that domestic talented specialists have left the country looking for a better life and decent income. That is why the authorities hope to find professionals where the level of living and salaries are lower than in Belarus. The ex-minister predicts that the main contingent of the specialists willing to be employed in Belarus may come from South-East Asia.

Just recently – on 1 September 2012 – Aliaksandr Lukashenka ordered to decrease the number of students accepted to the institutes of higher education because of excessing, in his opinion, number of specialists of higher education. “The task has been set to get this process regulated within a year. It will be more fair to people – to accept as many students as we need”, - the ruler then said. And now it turns out that there is a strong deficiency of domestic specialists in Belarus. Where have they gone?

No money for professionals

As the head of the analytical center Strategy Leanid Zaika notes, in the country there is a deficiency of good economists, high-class managers for big companies, for example Belaruskali. Doctors, programmers, architects, the representatives of other professions in demand, requiring the high level of proficiency, go abroad because of law salaries. This causes the problem of staging whole sectors of economy.

Let us take, for example, the health care. In 2012 Brest region had its need in medicine workers satisfied by 76%, Mahilou region – 67%, there are districts in the country staffed with doctor by less than 50%. Such a situation is not only in medicine. “Talented specialists have found employment in Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, other countries, where the conditions for their work are by times more attractive than at home”, - Zaika states.

The hunt for good specialists goes on round the whole world. It is quite an expensive pleasure, so for Belarus, limited in finance, it will be much easier to get its own professionals interested in homeland jobs, then attract high-class specialists from abroad, the expert is sure.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Dzmitry Bandarenka: Let Russia pay for Lukashenka

If it had not been for sanctions against Belarus, there would have been several thousands of disappeared and murdered opposition leaders in the country.

A former political prisoner and a European Belarus civic campaign’s coordinator Dzmitry Bandarenka stated that, Belsat TV channel reports.

The director of a human rights organization Freedom House and a former diplomat David Kramer call upon Washington and Brussels to introduce economic sanctions against the Belarusian regime. How tangible is the implementation of the human rights activist’s suggestion?

Dzmitry Bandarenka believes that the leadership of the USA should listen up to David Kramer’s voice, since the human rights activist visited Minsk as an aide to the US Secretary of State and knows the situation with human rights in Belarus. Apart from that David Kramer is a serious actor in American politics and a potential candidate for the head of the US foreign office.

“The Belarusian regime is accused by international community of a number of crimes: kidnappings and murders of political opponents, election fraud and the usurpation of power, tortures and mass repressions against civil society, corruption and weapon and trade on weapons and even drugs. That is why international community must react on such a behavior”, - the former political prisoner noted. Dzmitry Bandarenka emphasized, that Belarus is a serious problem of the whole world, that is why international community must use any methods possible.

According to him, David Kramer was the father of a sensible policy towards the Belarusian dictator, having deranged Chavez and Lukashenka’s oil business.

“The USA together with Canada then really applied economic sanctions against Belarusian Belneftekhim, which are still in force”, - Dzmitry Bandarenka reminded.

According to the coordinator of the European Belarus, David Kramer made the Belarusian regime release the political prisoners Dzmitry Dashkevich, Andrei Klimau, Aliaksandr Kazulin. “It was Kramer’s merit, who knows that talks with Lukashenka’s regime bring nothing, but actions or a threat of sanctions make the regime react”, - Dzmitry Bandarenka noted.

In the opinion of the former political prisoner, the Belarusian regime, like any other dictatorship, only understands the power language.

“If there are Western sanctions, Russia will try to compensate for them. If Russia wants to have its satrap Lukashenka in Belarus – let it pay for this pleasure”, - Belsat’s guest emphasized, adding that Kremlin will not manage to constantly support the dictatorships in Belarus and other countries of former USSR.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Skype give Belarusians away to KGB

Belarusian law enforcers received the information about 35 Skype accounts last year from Microsoft (Skype’s owner).

It is stated in the report Law Enforcement Requests Report, which has been published in the company’s official blog.

Microsoft claims that in 2012 Belarusian special services addressed the company five times with requests on 35 Skype accounts. The company disclosed so-called identifiers, which the requests demanded for. The very chats content and other data, related to the transmitted information, voice and videocalls, were not disclosed.
“We demand for court’s decisions or an equivalent document before we consider the issue of disclosing data, not containing the content and we demand for a court’s decision or an order before be consider disclosing a user’s content”, - they claim at Microsoft.

Belarus is only present in the lists for Skype requests. Belarusian law enforcers did not address Microsoft for user data of other services and applications of the company.
It is worth mentioning that the judiciary is dependent in Belarus and the order can be written by, among others, KGB officials themselves. Belarusian specials services deal with political prosecution, and political and civic activists and journalists often fall victims to Belarusian law enforcers’ criminal activities.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Freedom Day in captivity

The celebration of the Freedom Day in Minsk ended with the arrests of the participants of the opposition manifestation.

Several thousand people gathered to celebrate the 95th anniversary in Minsk on 24 March. Minsk city executive committee only allowed the participants of the Freedom Day procession to gather in the center of the city near the October cinema and traditionally sent the column to Bangalore square – further away from the capital’s main streets.

Despite the frost, absence of a wide information campaign and preventive arrests of oppositionists around 2 thousand people attended the action, according to the organizers’ estimation.

Several civic activists had been arrested on the eve of the action on alleged accusations. There were detentions in the regions too, where people were detained either on the way or right in their apartments before leaving for the capital.

In order to get to the place of the gathering near the October cinema people had to go through radio-metal locator and a search by riot police. Part of the site was fenced with tourniquets. There were policemen with megaphones in metro underpasses. A journalist of Nasha Niva Tatsiana Haurylchyk was arrested (and then released in an hour) for attempting to film them. Police vans were in an intimidating watch by the cinema.

Judging from the banners, not only the 95th anniversary of Belarusian People Republic’s proclamation was the main theme of the action, but also the topic of political prisoners in detention. Many participants of the manifestation had portraits of Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalaj Statkevich, Mikalaj Autukhovich, Ales Bialatski, the arrested anarchist activists. There were pictures of the kidnapped and murdered in t Belarus opposition leaders – Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka, Anatol Krasouski, Henadz Karpenka, a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski.

The city authorities forbad using “unregistered symbolics” at the action. What falls under that definition is only clearly known to policemen, that is why Belarusians came out to celebrate the Freedom Day under the national white-red-white flags. We would remind that the national historic flag of Belarus has been actually forbidden in the country since the referendum of 1995 on the change of the state symbols, initiated by Lukashenka. Flags of the European Belarus and Belarusian Christian Democracy party were also raised during the manifestation.

The duality of the action was also emphasized by the slogans, chanted by the participants: Long live Belarus! and “Freedom to political prisoners!”. One of the novelties of the actions was that the participants sang Lapis Trubiatskoj’s song on the verse of Janka Kupala “Not to be cattle” and launched fireworks.

The meeting in Bangalore square, where representatives of oppositional parties and movements made speeches, was also fenced with tourniquets. In order to get to the meeting people had again to undrgo the humiliating search procedures.

Nevertheless, the organizers give positive assessments to the action.

“More people came than last year. A large number of national flags streamed in the wind, we took an agreed route. I estimate the number of participants at two thousand”, - a coordinator of the European Belarus civic campaign Viktar Ivashkevich told in an interview to charter97.org.

He added that people would continue the celebration at home after the manifestation since the organizers did not manage to rent premises.

“The people, who came to the manifestation, did it consciously. These are active, conscious citizens. And those, who sit at home and follow the manifestation on the internet, should think – it is not late to join us not to regret later. I would emphasize that in the coming days, most likely on Tuesday, there will be a press-conference of the Freedom Day’s organizational committee, at which we will sum up the event and with the final assessment”, - Viktar Ivashkevich concluded.

A well-known human rights activist Valer Shchukin noted, that police did everything they could for as few as possible people gather for the Freedom Day manifestation.

“The authorities allowed to gather before a cinema with a fairly revolutionary name October. Police made a pen, where maximum of 150 people could fit, and also metal detectors were installed there. All the people, who came, could not physically fit in there that is why the majority stood behind the fence. There were busses, a mine clearing car and dozens of cars packed with policemen”, - the human rights activists noted in an interview to charter97.org.

He also emphasized that he did not participate in the procession to Bangalore square.

“The organizers congratulated everyone on the holiday and the column started moving. I left the action at that moment since I do not go to Bangalore on principle. I would add that I liked seeing mothers with their children and also a large number of young boys and girls, who came to celebrate the Freedom Day, who need freedom”, - Valer Shchukin concluded.

A co-chairman of the organizational committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party Vital Rymasheuski is also satisfied with the procession and the meeting of the occasion of the Freedom Day, despite the police provocation.

“The site in front of the October cinema was assigned a gathering place, which was covered with ice and had construction works being carried out nearby”, - the politician said.

In an interview to charter97.org he emphasized that despite the threats of punishment for using posters and banners their number was fairly large.

“The number of participants was no less than last year. People brought pictures of the disappeared politicians and also the political prisoners, who were behind bars on that day. Everyone was in a festive mood. I like seeing people, whom a have not seen for long and those who have very recently joined active political participation”, - Vital Rymasheuski summarized.

After the action in Bangalore square the arrests of the procession’s participants started. Groups of young people were detained at bus stops or in the McDonald’s located nearby.

“Journalists led the event’s organizers to the cars so none of us was detained. However an order was given to detain people after the action in a silent way. That is why several groups of young people have already been detained.

I think those are rat methods. In front of journalists I warned one of police high officials that law enforcement agencies will be held responsible for arbitrary detentions. There were no grounds for detentions, that is why I consider this to be a spit in the face of the European Union, which is trying to establish a dialogue with Lukashenka at least in some way. And when the dictator screams that the opposition is to blame for the failure of the relations with the EU, then I would say that those are responsible for that, who unlawfully grab people in street actions, who put people in prisons for political reasons, who is guilty of the disappearances of politicians and of Belarus’ ending up internationally isolated”, - Vital Rymasheuski emphasized.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Per Cromwell: Don't deal with Lukashenka

Swedish pilots call on Europe to suspend all contacts with the Belarusian dictator.
He commented on the decision of the Swedish Prosecution Authority to launch an investigation into the incident of crossing the Lithuanian-Belarusian border by a light plane.

“The Lithuanian authorities clearly want this matter out of their hands.

Our feeling is that this is complex and that they don't know how to handle it,” he said.

Per Cromwell notes he is not afraid of the prosecution.

“The offence is minor, if any. We'll just have to wait and see,” the Studio Total founder said.

He noted the Swedish Prosecution Authority perhaps took the decision only to calm the Belarusian authorities and return its ambassador to Minsk.

“It's possible. Sooner or later there will be Swedish representation in Belarus. We all hope that this will be in a post-Lukashenka world and soon,” Per Cromwell said.

The Studio Total founder spoke about his attitude towards negotiations with the European Union to lift travel restrictions from Belarusian foreign minister Uladzimir Makei in exchange for the return of the Swedish ambassador to Minsk.

“Demanding the release of prisoners is good, they shouldn't have been put in jail in the first place. But dealing with the man who put them there gives him legitimacy. We think everyone should be extremely careful what kind of deals you make with a dictator.

Remembering that if no one dealt with him, he would be gone in no time,” Per Cromwell said.

A light plane piloted by Studio Total members illegally crossed the Belarusian border on the morning of July 4. More than 800 teddy bears with pro-democracy labels were dropped over Ivyanets and Minsk during a 1.5-hour flight. A criminal case was opened, though border guards and army officials denied the border violation.

On July 13, 20-year old photographer Anton Surapin, who was the first to post photos of teddy bears on his website Belarusian News Photos, was detained. Real estate agent Syarhei Basharymau, who deals with short-term rentals, was detained on suspicion that the Swedish pilots might have rented or planned to rent a flat he offered.

On July 31, Lukashenka relieved head of the State Border Committee Ihar Rachkouski Commander of Air and Air Defence Forces General Major Dzmitry Pakhmelkin of their duties for “improper discharge of official duties in ensuring the national security of the Republic of Belarus”.

On August 1, the Belarusian authorities refused to prolong accreditation for Swedish Ambassador Stefan Eriksson that provoked a diplomatic row between Belarus and Sweden. Surapin and Basharymau were released from the KGB jail on their own recognizance on August 17.

In February 2013, a border guard, who didn't report about crossing the border by the Swedish plane on July 4, 2012, was sentenced to 2 years in a medium security penal colony.

It shoud be reminded that the Swedish pilots received Charter'97 National Human Rights Award 2012.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Andrei Sannikov: Paleckis plays dirty game

The leader of European Belarus civil campaign condemns the remarks by a European Parliament member on Minsk's alleged readiness to release political prisoners.

The European Parliament Rapporteur on Belarus is paying a visit to Minsk on March 18-21 to collect information for his report for a plenary sitting of the EP. Justas Paleckis said after meetings with officials that Lukashenka's regime was ready to free the political prisoners.

“It is an attempt to pacify public opinion, first of all, in Europe. It is not clear why Paleckis got involved in this dirty game. We know how pressure on all political prisoners has increased today. I can say with certainty: Everything they have faced can be called torture. The spineless policy of such politicians as Paleckis only intensifies torture,” European Belarus civil campaign leader and former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, who spent 18 months in prison after the Belarusian presidential elections of December 19, 2010, said to charter97.org.

According to Sannikov, he met with European politicians, including those who visited Minsk, and can say they know about the real confinement conditions for political prisoners.

“I was surprised to hear, and this news filled me with disgust, that the authorities even boast they are torturing political prisoners and like to tell their foreign partners about it. The recent attempts of human trafficking with the dictatorship made by European politicians lie beyond morality. The matter is human lives. Without a principled position, their lives are under constant threat,” the politician said.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau