WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill authored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) promoting democracy and human rights in Belarus was signed into law over the weekend by President George W. Bush.

“Alexander Lukashenka is Europe's last dictator and he rules Belarus with an iron fist,” Smith said.  “Lukashenka continues to systematically repress democratic activists and violate the basic human rights of the Belarusian people.  By reauthorizing the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act, we are showing that the U.S. stands on the side of the Belarusian people in their effort to live in a free, democratic state not of the side of their oppressor.”

The “Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2006” (H.R. 5948) passed the House by a vote of 397-2 and was passed by the Senate under Unanimous Consent in the final hours of the 109^th Congress.  The bill reauthorizes the “Belarus Democracy Act” (P.L. 108-347) which Smith authored and passed into law in 2004. 

“It is my hope that the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2006 will help end to the pattern of human rights violations and broken democracy commitments by the Lukashenka regime.  The beleaguered Belarusian people have suffered so much over the course of the last century and deserve better than to live under a regime frighteningly reminiscent of the Soviet Union,” said Smith.

Specifically, the law authorizes funding for each of fiscal years 2007 and 2008 for democracy-building activities such as support for non-governmental organizations, including youth groups, independent trade unions and entrepreneurs, human rights defenders, independent media, democratic political parties, and international exchanges.

            The bill also authorizes funding for each fiscal year for surrogate radio and television broadcasting to the people of Belarus.  In addition, this legislation expresses Congress’s will that sanctions be imposed against the Lukashenka regime, and that senior officials of the regime—as well as those engaged in human rights and electoral abuses, including lower-level officials—be denied entry into the United States.

“Belarus continues to have the worst rights record of any European state.  The U.S. has rightly imposed some sanctions on the Lukashenka regime, but it is time to expand and strengthen those sanctions.  It is imperative—given their track record—that we continue to hold the regime’s feet to the fire and demand change,” said Smith.