Belarus Is Not One of the Stans, But Is Influenced

[Annie]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/03/25/international/i082403S34.DTL

Police in Belarus Disperse Demonstrators
- By YURAS KARMANAU, Associated Press Writer
Friday, March 25, 2005

(03-25) 14:35 PST MINSK, Belarus (AP) --

Belarusian demonstrators tried to rally outside the office of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday to demand his ouster in a self-declared attempt to emulate a popular uprising in Kyrgyzstan, but they were beaten back by riot police swinging truncheons.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, harshly assailed the Kyrgyz opposition, warning that protests that drove longtime leader Askar Akayev from power this week could destabilize the entire region.

Lukashenko, who has largely retained the Soviet system and hasn't changed the name of the KGB in his country of 10 million, has stifled dissent, persecuted independent media and opposition parties, and prolonged his power through elections that international organizations say were marred by fraud.

He also pushed through a referendum in October that will allow him to seek a third term in 2006 and run in subsequent elections.

Showing he will not tolerate demonstrations like those that drove the presidents of Georgia, Ukraine and now Kyrgyzstan from power, Lukashenko sent police into the streets Friday to disperse an estimated 1,000 protesters who chanted "Down with Lukashenko!" and "Long Live Belarus!"

Police chased demonstrators along the streets of the capital, beating some with the night sticks. Minsk police spokesman Oleg Slepchenko said 34 protesters were detained for participating in an unsanctioned rally.

Andrei Klimov, an opposition leader who organized the protests, said his goal was to help spark a revolution similar to those that have swept the other ex-Soviet republics.

"Today's gathering must send a signal to the West, Russia and our own bureaucrats that Belarus is ready for a serious change," Klimov said. "Our aim is to start the Belarusian revolution and force the resignation of Lukashenko, the last dictator of Europe."

Friday's protest was one of the biggest in the Belarusian capital in recent months.

"By using force, Lukashenko shows he's terribly scared," said Vyacheslav Sivchik, an opposition leader later detained by police for taking part in the demonstration.

The protests that ousted the Kyrgyz leader have raised questions about which of the ex-Soviet strongmen might be the next to fall.

Only Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov, who has been declared president-for-life, rivals Luskashenko for total control among the post-Soviet leaders in 12 former republics. The three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have moved quickly toward democracy.

A hand-picked assembly of more than 2,000 top officials and elders headed by Niyazov makes laws in Turkmenistan. His book "Rukhnama" sets moral and spiritual guidelines for the country's citizens. It is held as a sacred text.

Kazakhstan, a vast, energy-rich nation where Western oil firms have invested billions of dollars, is seen by many analysts as the next target for a popular uprising. Its President Nursultan Nazarbayev, a former Communist boss who has been in power since 1989, will be seeking another seven-year term next year.