Yury Bandazhevsky


Vid tiden för kärnkraftsolyckan i Tjernobyl, den 26 april 1986, bodde Yury Bandazhevsky och hans familj - hustrun Galina och döttrarna Olga och Natasha - ännu kvar i sin hemstad Grodno. Staden ligger i västra Vitryssland inte långt från gränsen till både Polen och Litauen. De drabbades därför inte särskilt hårt av Tjernobylolyckan då. Det radioaktiva molnet från den havererade reaktor 4 fördes norrut med vindarna och passerade Grodno på betryggande avstånd. Det spydde ut sitt dödliga men osynliga innehåll där det råkade regna. Stora områden i Ukraina och sydöstra Ryssland blev förgiftade men värst drabbades den sydöstra delen av Vitryssland.

Yury Bandazhevsky var redan på den tiden en mycket framgångsrik läkare i patologi. Han var dessutom forskare. Efter en spikrak karriär hade han blivit Sovjetunionens genom tiderna yngste professor. Karriären var i hamn och framtiden såg minst sagt ljus ut. Att Galina Bandazhevskaya är barnläkare gjorde förstås inte saken sämre.
- Tjernobylolyckan förändrade deras liv. Yury blev mycket bekymrad över situationen och insåg att han med sina speciella kunskaper skulle kunna göra en livsviktig insats för sitt land och sina landsmän. Så han lämnade Grodno och flyttade 1990 till staden Gomel som ligger 14 mil fågelvägen nordöst om Tjernobyl och är ett av de värst drabbade områdena efter kärnkraftsolyckan. efter. Han grundade Gomels Medicinska Fakultet och var med om att utbilda tusentals studenter. Och han började forska kring skadeverkningarna av radioaktivt cesium-137 i människorkroppen.

Galina var lite tveksam till att flytta men året därpå kom jag och våra två döttrar efter.
Det var inte särskilt konstigt att Galina Bandazhevskaya var tveksam. Gomel ligger den mest radioaktivt nedsmutsade delen av landet. Halva staden mäter omkring 5 Ci/km2, den andra halvan har 15 Ci/km2 eller mer, vilket kan jämföras med att Sverige som högst drabbades av 1-5 Ci/km2. Ci betyder Curie och en sådan motsvarar omräknat till bequerel 37 000 Bq/m2. I Vitryssland, Ryssland och Ukraina anses allt under 15 Ci/km2 vara normalt.
- Det var ett smart drag att sätta gränsvärdet så högt, säger Michel Fernex. Håller man sig på den nivån, så blir en olycka som den i Tjernobyl inte särskilt dyrbar.

Redan då stod det klart att 23 procent av Vitryssland var radioaktivt nedsmutsat. Det innebar för all del att hela 77 procent av landet hade klarat sig förhållandevis bra. I dag beräknas emellertid hela befolkningen ha cesium-137 i kroppen, då den radioaktiva jorden odlas och maten blandas med ren mat och säljs över hela landet. Effekterna av radioaktiviteten blir inte fullt så synliga på det viset.

Professor Nesterenko som är fysiker, ledamot av Vitryska vetenskapsakademien och vid tiden för olyckan var chef för dess kärnkraftsinstitut berättar hur han kämpade för ett lägre normalvärde och att allt inom åtminstone tio men helst 30 mil skulle evakueras.
- Men det hade inneburit evakuering av huvudstaden Kiev i Ukraina som med sina förorter har omkring 5 miljoner invånare, säger Michel Fernex. Det var betydligt enklare att höja normalvärdet.

Det behöver emellertid inte vara de höga doserna under kort tid som är mest förödande för hälsan. Att bli utsatt för strålning på låg nivå under lång tid kan vara minst lika skadligt om inte värre.
- Om man erkänner en sådan effekt, så har man också erkänt att kärnkraftsindustrin är skyldig till att miljoner barn har blivit sjuka, säger Michel Fernex. Då måste man skydda barnen och tvinga industrin att betala kalaset. De kommer emellertid aldrig godvilligt att betala ett enda öre.

Yuri Bandazhevsky funderade mycket på effekterna av lågdosstrålning och drog 1995 igång ett forskningsprojekt i syfte att undersöka effekterna av cesium-137 – ett radioaktivt ämne som bara existerar i form av restprodukt av kärnbränsle och ett av de värsta som slapp ut ur Tjernobylreaktorn.

ett av de värsta ämnen som släpptes ut vid olyckan. 


Det är Solange och Michel Fernex som berättar professor Bandazhevskys märkliga historia en något frostbiten höstdag i det vackra Biedertal i östra Frankrike. Deras hus är stort och spännande som ett kråkslott hämtat ur en sagobok, där det ligger vid foten av en hög bergskedja som förmodligen löper ända in i tyska Schwarzwald. Efter att ha passerat genom en stor port kommer man fram till en trappa leder upp till våningen, där de bor. Väggarna i trapphuset är fyllda av konst. Högst har en konstnär hyrt in sig och han är inte dummare än att han passar på att ställa ut. Hela huset går i brunt och är med sina stora ytor, vinklar och vrår förmodligen typiskt franskt. Hemmet präglas av makarna Fernexs brinnande intresse för världsfreden, sanningen och situationen i Vitryssland efter Tjernobylkatastrofen.
Här finns antika möbler och stora målningar som för tankarna till en sorts klassisk aristokrati. Mest dominerar emellertid lådvis med böcker, papper, pärmar och en datorn med vilken de håller daglig kontakt med själsfränder i världens alla hörn. Så blir det för den som engagerar sig i kärnkraftsfrågan och speciellt olyckan i Tjernobyl. Nyskördade valnötter ligger på tork och utanför i hagen betar några åsnor.
- Vår son och hans familj bor i grannhuset, förklarar Solange. Han driver jordbruk, ett litet ysteri för tillverkning av franska ostar och ett mindre hotell.

Solange och Michel har huset fullt av gäster. Det är Galina Bandazevskaya, professor Vasily Nesterenko med frun X från Vitryssland och den schweiziske filmfotografen Wladimir X som har gjort flera avslöjande filmer i och om Tjernobyl. De vitryska gästerna har varit i EU-parlamentet och vittnat om situationen i Vitryssland efter Tjernobylolyckan. De har även vädjat om hjälp för den fängslade professor Bandazhevsky.

- Vill man ha sin karriär förstörd, så ska man arbeta med Tjernobyl, konstaterar Michel. Så är det. Överallt. Man tar inte ens i det. Det är därför bedrägeriet kan fortgå. De flesta håller tyst av rädsla eller av omtanke om sin egen framtid. Vi hade en epidemiolog som studerade förekomsten av leukemi i ett område i Frankrike. Och vad hände? Han förlorade allt stöd och alla sina anslag. Det är omöjligt att kritisera kärnkraftsindustrin. De krossar dig, om du försöker.



Michel har gott och väl fyllt 70, så för honom spelar karriären ingen roll. Han är läkare till professonen specialiserad i tropisk medicin. Han är dessutom professor emeritus vid universitetet i Basel, Schweiz, några mil bort på andra sidan gränsen men han har även arbetat i Frankrike, Sverige och Senegal. De sista tio yrkesverksamma åren tjänstgjorde han inom Världshälsoorganisationen (WHO) som är ett FN-organ.

Solange arbetar hårt och målmedvetet för fred, sanning och mänskliga rättigheter. Det har hon gjort i hela sitt liv. Hon är därför veteran inom Amnesty International och valdes 1989 in i Europaparlamentet för Miljöpartiet de Gröna i Frankrike.
- Jag har kämpat för att få ett slut på atomåldern, sedan bomberna släpptes över Hiroshima och Nagasaki 1945, säger Solange som har kallats det franska kärnkraftsmotståndets och människorättsrörelsens moder. Det är en diger uppgift med tanke på att Frankrike med sina 59 reaktorer är Europas kärnkraftstätaste land. Solange är dessutom president för den franska sektionen av Internationella Kvinnoförbundet för Fred och Frihet (IKFF) som på franska förkortas WILPF. Charmigt kortklippt och med nästan vitt hår talar hon energiskt på engelska med en pikat fransk brytning.
 
Medan Solange har kämpat för de stora miljöfrågorna har Michel haft nog med sitt. Somliga har tyckt, att han nog borde sätta stopp för sin frus stridbara framfart men han har, som han säger, låtit henne hållas.
- Jag blev lite aktiv alldeles för sent. Jag ångar att jag inte tidigare sa ifrån. 
- Efteråt har jag ångrat, att jag inte engagerade mig i de här frågorna. Jag hade den amerikanska cancerforskaren Rosalie Bertel bok ”Ingen omedelbar fara” men tog mig aldrig tid att läsa den. Hon var oerhört kreativ och jag respekterar henne mycket. Jag borde ha läst hennes bok tidigare. Jag blev konsult eller aktivist, om du vill, väldigt sent i livet.

Michel engagerade sig emellertid i Läkare mot Kärnvapen (IPPNW). Där diskuterades faran med atombomber som emellertid kändes lite avlägsen, eftersom Schweiz inte var med i NATO. Landet har inga egna atombomber och ligger dessutom långt från dåvarande Sovjetunionen. För Schweiz del var det den fredliga atomindustrin som skulle utvecklas, hette det.
- Regeringen skrev på icke-spridningsavtalet någon gång på 50-talet. Samtidigt började de i största hemlighet förbereda tillverkningen av 200 atombomber i en hemlig kärnkraftsanläggning i Lucens, där de i kanske 20 år hade anrikat uran. Syftet var att starta en plutoniumfabrik men reaktorn, som var gömd långt inne i berget, drabbades av en härdsmälta efter bara en timmas drift den 21 januari 1969. De hann bara framställa några milligram plutonium. Berget murades igen och lämnades åt sitt öde i 20 år, innan de gjorde ett hål och sände in robotar. Själva gick de aldrig in. Det är 15 mil härifrån och i dag vet ingen om grundvattnet är förgiftat. Det finns trots allt stora, underjordiska sjöar. Jag tror att det var den första väckarklockan för mig. Plötsligt insåg jag, att mitt fridfulla land som var en sådan förebild för demokratin, inte var så perfekt som jag hade trott. 

Så inträffade kärnkraftsolyckan i Tjernobyl och nyheten kablades ut över världen. Att det radioaktiva molnet svepte in över Tyskland, Schweiz och Frankrike med sitt dödliga gift fick fransmännen aldrig veta. När automatlarmen gick på brandstationerna kom myndigheternas representanter helt sonika och plockade bort dosimetrarna. Myndigheterna har aldrig ersatt dem.
- Vi har gjort en film om det på Corsika, säger Michel. Fortfarande syns märket efter dosimetern, eftersom väggen runt omkring var solblekt.
I Tyskland gick larmet direkt. Föräldrar uppmanades ta in sina barn, ge dem jodtabletter och tvätta kläderna de hade haft på sig utomhus. Befolkningen rekommenderades dessutom avstå från såväl mjölk som grönsaker. Regeringen i Schweiz visste hur det var ställt, men lade locket på och avstod medvetet från att ge barnen jodtabletter. Frankrike förnekade alltihop och påstod att vinden hade tagit radioaktiviteten ut ur landet. 
- Vi har samlat in alla tal av då ansvariga personer, säger Michel. Frankrike ljög systematiskt på alla nivåer och tillät inte de ansvariga att skydda befolkningen. Radioaktiviteten regnade ner över oss och många drabbades av sjukdomar även om det mesta föll i bergen. I dag strider 400 fransmän med sköldkörtelcancer för sin rätt i domstol. De har stämt franska staten för att underlät att berätta sanningen och därmed utsatte befolkningen för livsfara. Det var bara grönsaker på väg till Schweiz som stoppades för att de var radioaktiva.
- På den tiden var det knappt tillåtet att tala om radioaktivitet. Frankrike lever av kränkraftsindustrin och har någon slags option på att vara först och bäst i Europa. Tyskarna har aldrig varit lika entusiastiska för kärnkraften. Frankrike är medlem av FN:s generalförsamling vilket Tyskland aldrig blir. De har nämligen ingen atombomb. Att ha bomben ger en viss standard.

Solange förstod direkt vad molnet från Tjernobyl kunde bära med sig. Hon såg till att sonen tog in korna som just hade släppts ut och trots att gräset stod frodigt och grön i solskenet, fick de nöja sig med hö och källvatten från bergen.
- Han förlorade mycket pengar, men var den ende i trakten som hade ren mjölk, säger Solange. Dessutom kunde han senare sälja kött som inte var kontaminerat.
- Hon var den verkliga vetenskapsmannen av oss två, säger Michel. Själv var jag naiv och ignorerade faran, medan hon kämpade lät jag henne hållas. Så upptäckte en av mina kollegor, en mycket duktig forskare, att vi hade väldigt förhöjda värden på vårt laboratorium i Basel. Han kontrollerade en gång till och mätaren visade 30 000 bequerel/m2, när det borde vara 30-40 eller möjligen 100. Han insåg att vi måste slå larm om saken och mura igen byggnaden. Av en slump öppnade han dörren och upptäckte, att det var lika mycket radioaktivitet i trädgården. Det var lika radioaktivt överallt. 

Händelsen blev något av en vändpunkt för Michel. Han började lyssna på vad makthavarna egentligen sa och upptäckte att det förekom systematiska lögner. som sedan den dagen arbetar sida vid sida med Solange vars huvudsakliga intresse är konsekvenserna av Tjernobylolyckan och speciellt hur den höga bakgrundsstrålningen påverkar den mänskliga arvsmassan. Att de medicinska konskvenserna officiellt inskränker sig till 32 döda och 1800 fall av sköldkörtelcancer avfärdar de totalt. Den sanningen får FN:s vetenskapliga kommitté för effekterna av atomstrålning (UNSCEAR). Det är svensken Lars-Erik Holm, till vardags chef för Statens Strålskyddsinstitut, som leder Unscear och som alltså är ansvarig för att FN:s officiella statistik ser ut som den gör. Han har till och med slagits för den på ett sätt som fått vitryska och ukrainska experter att rasa. De menar att Lars-Erik Holm med ett penndrag har förvandlat katastrofen i Tjernobyl till ett tekniskt missöde.

- Alla andra länder har ställt sig bakom rapporten, säger Lars-Erik Holm. Vi har gått igenom all forskning, säger han i en telefonintervju. Jag har varit i Vitryssland och träffat Tjernobylkommittén, en grupp läkare som kommit dit för att protestera mot oss. Min uppfattning är att det var en politiskt orkestrerad grupp som satt där. Deras rapporter är inte skrivna på amerikanskt vis. De accepterar tyvärr inte vår vetenskapliga tolkning av rapporterna, men vi bedömer all forskning efter samma typ av strikta kriterier. Den statistik man använder för att visa att 100 000-tals människor dör av strålningen från Tjernobyl, kan vi inte acceptera. Det enda som är sant, är att de dör. Det är det enda som är bevisat. Jag är säker på att folk mår dåligt. Det kan beror på strålning, men det beror inte på Tjernobylolyckan. 

- I bergen runt Aten i Grekland, där det råkade regna, har man visat en ökning av leukemi hos barn efter Tjernobylolyckan. Man har visat att mödrarna hade utsatts för strålning under graviditeten. I Frankrike är det antagligen likadant men ingen skulle komma på tanken att undersöka saken. Här är det nästan inte tillåtet. Att studera cancer i kombination med lågdosstrålning är detsamma som slutet på forskarkarriären. Ingen skulle ta risken att göra det.

I Tyskland uppmättes en ökning av spädbarnsdödligheten – barn som dog inom 28 dagar efter förlossningen - med 8,5 procent i bergstrakterna, säger Michel. För Berlin var siffran 8,2 procent. Varje gång ett utsläpp inträffar får vi en sådan pik, oavsett var i världen det inträffar. Modern utsätts för strålning under graviditeten och barnet dör. Det kan man tänka på, när ett litet barn dör. Kanske har modern varit utsatt för strålning. Dr Alice Stewart har skrivit om det efter en studie om konsekvenserna av den amerikanska kärnkraftsindustrin. Hon visade att röntgen av mammor under graviditeten hänger ihop med barn och leukemi under första levnadsåret. 

- När WHO, som har till uppgift att främja det internationella hälsoläget, förklarade att Tjernobylolyckan inte hade givit upphov till någon ökning av leukemi hos barnen i Vitryssland var det alltså lögn, säger Michel. De var inte på plats förrän fem år efter olyckan. Då hade de sjuka barnen hunnit dö undan eller tillfrisknat. De finns därför inte med i statistiken.

- Dessutom byter de måttenheter hela tiden. Det är ett sätt att förvirra journalister. Talar du om millisievert, så pratar de om rem och börjar du diskutera om curie, så talar de om microröntgen. Det är en god teknik som är helt inadekvat.

Det finns en något förvånande förklaring till WHO:s frånvaro i Tjernobylområdet de första fem åren. När WHO grundades 1948 och var på 50-talet aktiv motståndare mot kärnkraft. Det så illa ut för kärnkraftsindustrin, så 1957 skapades FN:s internationella atomenergi agentur (IAEA) vars syfte är att sprida användningen av kärnenergin så mycket som möjligt för fred, hälsa och framgång över hela världen. I ett avtal (Res. WHA-12-14) från 1959 mellan WHO och IAEA förbinder sig organisationerna i Artikel 1 paragraf 3 att ”närhelst den ena organisationen föreslås initiera ett program eller aktivitet i ett ämne som den andra organisationen har eller kan ha intresse, ska den första parten konstultera den andra i syfte att justera materialet så att det passar det gemensamma överenskommelsen”.
- Avtalet förklarar varför WHO:s aktionsplan för Tjernobyl dröjde i fem år efter olyckan, säger Solange. Hon och Michel har kämpat hårt för att få bort
- Det förklarar också varför planen var designad av IAEA. Och det förklarar varför föredragen från WHO:s Tjernobylkonferens i Geneve 1995 aldrig publicerades.
Michel lyckades nestla sig in på den konferensen. Där var mycket folk från ”båda sidor” och hårda diskussioner.
- Alla som ville tala om lågdosstrålning ströks från talarlistan, säger Michel. Rapporten skulle publiceras någon månad senare. Jag väntar fortfarande. Bara agendan publicerades men jag har mina anteckningar. Jag började lyssna på folk och insåg att det fanns systematiska lögner. Man kan åka på konferenser och upptäcka att alla ljuger. Jag hade hört en kollega professor Okeanov berätta om ökningen av cancer bland likvidatörerna två veckor innan. Han var ansvarig för cancerregistret i Vitryssland långt före Tjernobylkatastrofen och följde 30 000 likvidatörer personligen. Han fann en ökning av leukemi i alla länder. I samband med WHO konferensen stod inget om detta i hans rapport. Jag frågade honom varför och han publicerade det. Han förlorade såväl sitt institut som cancerregistret. Han hade slagit fast att leukemi ökar hos likvidatörerna slog han fast att antalet fall av alla sorts cancer ökar hos befolkningen i Gomelregionen.

- Överenskommelsen förklarar också varför (unscear?) FN-rapporten daterad 6 februari 2002 fortfarande vidhåller att olyckan orsakade 32 döda, 200 strålskadade och 2000 fall av sköldkörtelcancer hos barn och tonåringar. Uppgifterna kommer från IAEA och UNSCEAR och inte från WHO och OCHA FN:s kontor för samordning av humanitära insatser. Det är tyvärr inget undantag. Rapporterna från provsprängningarna i Kazakhstan och Polynesien – inklusive kapitlen om de medicinska effekterna av strålningen - skrevs också av IAEA. Det är helt oacceptabelt, säger hon. 

- Jag försökte förstå varför alla ljög, säger Michel. Till slut insåg jag, att frånvaron av sanning dikterades av lobbyn på en nivå, där jag har svårt att agera. Jag har vait påverkad av den lobbyn i hela mitt liv, så nu tror jag inte på någon. Jag frågar efter bevis. De ljuger och jag vet inte varför. Det är en världsomfattande lögn. Den som talar sanning avfärdas som aktivist.

Solange och Michel besökte Vitryssland efter olyckan. Myndigheterna sa att det var säkert men de registrerade en enorm radioaktivitet utanför det hus där de bodde. Det var högre än när vi närmade oss Tjernobyl, så olyckligtvis bodde vi i en spot.

- Jag besökte professor Bandazhevsky på Gomels Mediciska institut hösten 1998 och blev verkligen imponerad av kunskapnivån, säger Michel Fernex. Diskussionerna med lektorer och övrig personal visade att de hade goda kunskaper om de hälsomässiga konsekvenserna av Tjernobylolyckan. Studenterna deltog också väldigt aktivt i deras kurser. Där var aktiva forskare, små grupper av vetgiriga studenter och imponerande samlingar. En kommitté från Minsk hade anlänt dagen innan för att ta del av hans forskning, så Yury hade samlat på sig missbildade foster – aborter och dödfödda barn - som samlats in under en period av 15 dagar. Jag har aldrig sett så många missbildade barn! Det var fruktansvärt. Det var ungefär så många som man skulle ha kunnat förvänta sig under ett helt år före Tjernobylolyckan.

Michel Fernex slår fast att Yurys arbete var av exceptionell betydelse.

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CONCERNS IN EUROPE
July - December 1999

FOREWORD
This bulletin contains information about Amnesty International's main concerns in Europe between July and December 1999. Not every country in Europe is reported on: only those where there were significant developments in the period covered by the bulletin.
The five Central Asian republics of Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are included in the Europe Region because of their membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Reflecting the priority Amnesty International is giving to investigating and campaigning against human rights violations against women and children, the bulletin contains special sections on Women in Europe (p.95) and Children in Europe (p.99).
A number of individual country reports have been issued on the concerns featured in this bulletin. References to these are made under the relevant country entry. In addition, more detailed information about particular incidents or concerns may be found in Urgent Actions and News Service Items issued by Amnesty International.
This bulletin is published by Amnesty International every six months. References to previous bulletins in the text are:

AI Index: EUR 01/02/99 Concerns in Europe: January - June 1999
AI Index: EUR 01/01/99 Concerns in Europe: July - December 1998
AI Index: EUR 01/02/98 Concerns in Europe: January - June 1998
AI Index: EUR 01/01/98 Concerns in Europe: July - December 1997
AI Index: EUR 01/01/97 Concerns in Europe: July - December 1996
AI Index: EUR 01/01/95 Concerns in Europe: May - December 1994

ARMENIA




Amnesty International On-line. http://www.amnesty.org

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ai-index ACT 75/002/2000 22/05/2000


amnesty international
HARMING THE HEALERS
Violations of the human rights of
health professionals

21 July 2000
AI INDEX: ACT 75/02/00

Health professionals around the world continue to face obstacles in carrying out their healing function. Despite international human rights standards as well as humanitarian laws protecting their status, in numerous countries pressure is placed on doctors, nurses and other health workers to force them to cease or modify their professional, human rights or non-violent political activity.

Amnesty International has documented such repressive measures over many years. In addition to the organization's continuing program of actions on behalf of victims of human rights violations, the Commission médicale of the French section of Amnesty International organized a major conference in Paris in January 1989 to discuss ''medicine at risk''(1). A short report was published as a discussion paper for this conference(2) and a book arising from the conference was published in French and English(3). The conference produced a number of recommendations concerning the protection of doctors under threat as well as giving concrete support to a number of participants who themselves had been threatened or persecuted(4).

In 1991, AI issued a report on the situation of health professionals at risk, including seven case studies of doctors, nurses and other health workers who had been subjected to gross human rights violations(5). In 1996 AI published further cases in a report on the role of doctors in the exposure of human rights violations(6). In the following year, Amnesty International published a report on nurses and human rights which drew attention to cases of nurses who had been victimised by states(7). Other organizations have reported on the plight of health professionals including some professional bodies which have drawn attention to doctors and nurses under pressure. These will be discussed below.

Targeting of health professionals

Doctors, nurses and other health workers can be subjected to a range of repressive measures for a variety of reasons. These reasons include:

• their real or perceived peaceful or violent political activities against the government;
• their activities in human rights groups;
• their professional activities or criticisms of government health policy;
• their alleged membership or support of banned political or social organizations;
• their ethnicity, nationality or gender;
• their provision of treatment to sick or injured members of illegal or armed opposition figures;
• the perceived deterrence value of making an example of the health professional;
• accidental reasons (for example, being in the wrong place at the wrong time).
Medical personnel can also be, like other citizens, arrested and prosecuted for criminal activities though such prosecutions are not relevant here.

In many, perhaps most, cases, persecution cannot simply be attributed to any one unique reason. Doctors who are actively engaged in human rights monitoring may also be engaged in political activism. Similarly, those who criticise health standards or government policy on health may also be seen as making a political point, or reflecting involvement in opposition or human rights groups. While the rights of doctors to participate in political activity must be protected in the same way that any citizen's political rights should be protected, the particular focus of this paper is the risk of health professionals being victimised because of their professional or human rights activities. Nevertheless, cases of imprisonment of health professionals because of non-violent political activities are also included here.

The forms of pressure asserted against health professionals range from the overt and physically dangerous such as death threats or threats against family members, abduction and disappearance, killing, and torture through to denial of promotion, transfer to undesirable locations, and dismissal. In some cases, doctors or nurses face continuing harassment in the conduct of their professional activity through the presence of police or military officers in the clinic or hospital and their refusal to respect the confidentiality of the medical consultation.

Review of some recent cases known to Amnesty International

During the past few years, Amnesty International has appealed on behalf of many health professionals. This section reviews some of these cases but does not pretend to be comprehensive. The cases given below represent only a selection of cases of repression involving health professionals. Moreover, a wide range of acts of repression, such as dismissal, forcible transfer and a range of verbal or written threats, fall outside Amnesty International's mandate and therefore are not systematically documented by the organization. The cases considered below (in alphabetical order according to country) are those in which health professionals have been subjected to imprisonment, ''disappearance'', ill-treatment or similar abuses.

Cuba




Imprisonment as punishment for professional critique

In some cases, doctors have been prosecuted for their professional critique of government policy or action. The case of Dr Desi Mendoza, Cuba, has already been cited (see above p.3). Another case of imprisonment, possibly for making a professional critique, is that Professor Yury Bandazhevsky. Professor Bandazhevsky, a physician, was arrested in Gomel on 13 July 1999 under a presidential decree usually invoked only in cases of violent suspects and terrorists. He was informed three weeks after his arrest that he was charged under Article 169 (3) of the Belarusian Criminal Code for allegedly taking bribes from students seeking admission to his research institute. If convicted, he would face between five and 15 years' imprisonment and confiscation of his property.


Dr Yury Bandazhevsky © Yury Bandazhevsky

Amnesty International believes that Yury Bandazhevsky may have been imprisoned for his outspoken criticism of a state-funded research program into the effects of the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor on the population's health. In his capacity as both the rector of the Gomel Medical Institute and a respected academic, Yury Bandazhevsky has been active in this field of research for a number of years. As a member of a special research committee he had recently written a report about the research being conducted into the Chernobyl disaster by the Institute of Radiation Medicine (part of the Belarusian Ministry of Health), criticizing the manner in which the research had been carried out and the fact that money had been spent on research which had not produced any important scientific findings. On the night of his arrest police officers reportedly searched his home and confiscated his computer, books and files. He was released on 27 December 1999 from pre-trial detention under the condition that he does not leave Minsk.

During his time in pre-trial detention Yury Bandazhevsky's state of health deteriorated drastically. He reportedly suffers from a stomach condition, which was exacerbated by the inhuman and degrading conditions of his imprisonment, and depression as a result of his predicament. After being released his health continues to be poor and as a result of not having official residency in Minsk, where he must remain as a condition of his release, he cannot register for medical treatment. His wife, a physician, is reportedly treating him as best she can with the limited resources the family have. At time of writing the investigation into his case continues.

Action by non-governmental bodies for detained health professionals

Amnesty International has campaigned actively for detained health professionals since the organization's creation in 1961. Its activities in this field were stepped up following the establishment of the first Amnesty International medical group in 1974 and the subsequent development of an international health professional network, now active in more than 30 countries(24).

Apart from Amnesty International, a number of human rights organizations have also continued to document and campaign on cases. The International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations is a coalition comprising a number of national organizations(25). One of the national affiliates, the Boston-based organization Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), has undertaken detailed research into the situation of doctors and other health professionals at risk. For example, it has documented violations of medical neutrality in the former Yugoslavia including cases where medical facilities were attacked and where physicians and nurses were subjected to abuses(26). It also examined the dilemmas faced by doctors in Turkey and documented numerous examples of different forms of pressure being imposed on doctors(27). Recently, PHR documented violations of medical neutrality by Russian forces against Chechen medical personnel(28).

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), based in Copenhagen, has also supported doctors at risk of repression, recently issuing a press release in the case of prosecutions launched against Turkish doctors(29) (discussed above, pp.9-11).

At a national level, NGOs have campaigned for doctors at risk including in situations where the NGO itself is put at risk by its campaigning.

Action by professional bodies

Medical and nursing associations are widely regarded as conservative bodies which are reluctant to intervene on ''political'' issues outside of those relating to working conditions, remuneration, health policy and similar themes. However, some associations have intervened in support of individuals or to pursue issues directly relevant to the protection of human rights.

Peru




Possible prisoners of conscience

Amnesty International expressed concern about the arrest of the Rector of Gomel Medical Institute, Professor Yury Bandazhevsky, in July, fearing he may have been deliberately targeted by the authorities for exercising his right to freedom of expression, and considered him a possible prisoner of conscience (AI Index: EUR 49/27/99). He has openly criticized the way in which the Ministry of Health has conducted research into the adverse health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 1986 and the money it has spent on such research.
Yury Bandazhevsky was arrested in Gomel in the middle of the night of 13 July by a police detachment. In violation of international human rights standards, the authorities did not formally charge him until 5 August. The circumstances surrounding Yury Bandazhevsky's arrest have caused further concern, since he was not given access to a lawyer or allowed to see his family until three weeks after his arrest. After the lawyer obtained permission to visit his client in Gomel, Yury Bandazhevsky was transferred to a prison some 100 miles away in Mogilev without the lawyer's knowledge. On 27 December he was released on the condition he does not leave Minsk and is awaiting trial on charges of allegedly taking bribes from students seeking admission to his research institute. If he is convicted, he faces between five and 15 years' imprisonment and confiscation of his property. Amnesty International fears that like Mikhail Chigir and Andrei Klimov he may not receive a fair trial.




BELARUS

Arbitrary detention and alleged police ill-treatment

During the period under review opposition groups staged a number of peaceful protests against President Lukashenka's refusal to hold elections scheduled for July, questioning the legitimacy of his tenure in office. The opposition staged a series of large-scale demonstrations in July and October, as well as numerous smaller protest actions, both in and outside Minsk, during which Amnesty International learned of hundreds of arrests. In a series of public statements Amnesty International condemned the arrests and considered any demonstrators detained for peacefully exercising their freedom of assembly as prisoners of conscience.
During the 'Freedom March' demonstration on 17 October a number of prominent members of the opposition were arrested by the Belarusian authorities. Leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Nikolai Statkevich, human rights activists and deputies of the dissolved parliament Loudmila Gryaznova and Valery Schukin, chairman of the human rights organization 'Spring-96' (Vesna-96) Ales Byalatsky, current deputy chairman of the dissolved parliament Anatoly Lebedko and chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Vintsuk Vyachorka were among around 200 protestors detained by the authorities. Most of the aforementioned people were given administrative prison sentences of between 10 and 15 days or fined. Criminal charges were later brought against a number of them for their part in organizing and participating in the demonstration. Their cases are expected to come to trial in February 2000 and, if they are convicted, Amnesty International will consider them prisoners of conscience.
Seventeen-year-old Yevgeny Aphnagel, 17-year-old Andrei Volobev, 18-year-old Anton Lazarev and university students Gleb Dogel and German Sushkevich were among a number of young Belarusians who were arrested and given administrative sentences after the Freedom March demonstration. Yevgeny Aphnagel was reportedly acquitted of all criminal charges on 29 November after having spent 15 days in administrative detention and allegedly being beaten by police officers. Criminal charges of 'malicious hooliganism' under Article 201 (2) of the Belarusian Criminal Code have reportedly been brought against the other young protestors, whose trials are also expected to commence in February 2000. University students Gleb Dogel and German Sushkevich have alleged they were ill-treated by police officials after their arrests.
During a peaceful demonstration to mark Belarus' Day of Independence on 27 July, a 20-year-old member of the Belarusian Popular Party's Youth Front, Yevgeny Osinsky, was arrested and held on the charge of 'malicious hooliganism' and taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration (AI Index: EUR 49/24/99). He maintains he was ill-treated by police officers who reportedly hit him in the stomach, kidneys and back. He was released from prison on bail on 6 September after spending around five weeks in detention. On 18 January 2000 a court ruled that Yevgeny Osinsky, who works as an electrician, must pay 20 percent of his wages for a period of two years as a form of 'corrective labour' for allegedly resisting arrest. The charges originally brought against him were dropped.

Possible "disappearances"

Amnesty International expressed serious concern for the safety of prominent opposition leader and former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Viktor Gonchar and his companion Anatoly Krasovsky, who failed to return home on 16 September. Viktor Gonchar, head of the unofficial electoral committee and first deputy chairman of the dissolved parliament, and his companion Anatoly Krasovsky apparently ''disappeared'' three days before Viktor Gonchar was due to give an extensive report about the political situation in Belarus under President Lukashenka to members of the dissolved parliament. In May another prominent member of the opposition and former Minister of the Interior, Yury Zakharenko, also apparently "disappeared" on the first day of the campaigns of the unofficial presidential elections (AI Index: EUR 01/02/99).
These possible "disappearances" occurred at key political moments and the Belarusian authorities have shown great reluctance to investigate the cases. Instead, they have accused Belarus' opposition of staging the "disappearances" for the purposes of seeking international attention or have stated that the individuals concerned have been sighted abroad. Since they went missing there has been no reliable information about the whereabouts of the three men.

Prisoners of conscience

In March the former Prime Minister, Mikhail Chigir, was imprisoned for his opposition activities. He had intended to stand as a presidential candidate in the unofficial presidential elections scheduled for May (AI Index: EUR 01/02/99). His arrest caused a great deal of concern in the international community and there were numerous calls for his release. He was charged with financial impropriety relating to a position he held as head of a bank, a charge which he denied. After eight months' imprisonment he was conditionally released at the end of November and his case is currently being heard by a court in Minsk. Amnesty International fears he may not receive a fair trial.
Other members of the opposition remain imprisoned for their non-violent political beliefs, including members of the dissolved parliament Andrei Klimov and Vladimir Koudinov (AI Index: EUR 01/02/99). The case of Andrei Klimov, who has been in pre-trial detention since February 1998 charged with financial impropriety, eventually came to court in July and continued throughout the year. On 13 December Andrei Klimov was reportedly beaten and kicked by prison officials and dragged into a Minsk courtroom in torn clothes and without shoes. The ill-treatment allegedly occurred after Andrey Klimov refused to leave his prison cell and go to court, protesting he has not received a fair trial. It is anticipated that the court will reach a verdict early in the year 2000.
Amnesty International learned of the release of 73-year-old Vasily Starovoitov on 11 November after spending two years in prison convicted of bribery and large-scale embezzlement in May1999 (AI Index: 01/01/99). Amnesty International believes that the charges were politically motivated and designed to silence an opponent of President Lukashenka.

Possible prisoners of conscience

Amnesty International expressed concern about the arrest of the Rector of Gomel Medical Institute, Professor Yury Bandazhevsky, in July, fearing he may have been deliberately targeted by the authorities for exercising his right to freedom of expression, and considered him a possible prisoner of conscience (AI Index: EUR 49/27/99). He has openly criticized the way in which the Ministry of Health has conducted research into the adverse health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 1986 and the money it has spent on such research.
Yury Bandazhevsky was arrested in Gomel in the middle of the night of 13 July by a police detachment. In violation of international human rights standards, the authorities did not formally charge him until 5 August. The circumstances surrounding Yury Bandazhevsky's arrest have caused further concern, since he was not given access to a lawyer or allowed to see his family until three weeks after his arrest. After the lawyer obtained permission to visit his client in Gomel, Yury Bandazhevsky was transferred to a prison some 100 miles away in Mogilev without the lawyer's knowledge. On 27 December he was released on the condition he does not leave Minsk and is awaiting trial on charges of allegedly taking bribes from students seeking admission to his research institute. If he is convicted, he faces between five and 15 years' imprisonment and confiscation of his property. Amnesty International fears that like Mikhail Chigir and Andrei Klimov he may not receive a fair trial.

Persecution of human rights defenders

Several prominent human rights defenders and human rights organizations came under increased pressure in 1999 to cease their human rights work. The Minsk offices of the human rights organization 'Spring-96' were raided on 4 October by the police. Police officers confiscated computers, a printer and photocopier and copies of their human rights journal Right to Freedom on the pretext that the organization did not possess the necessary documentation to print on the premises. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee was also subjected to continued harassment by the authorities. In December they were threatened with eviction from their offices, which are owned by the Presidential Business Administration.
In July Oleg Volchek, the head of the legal advice centre Legal Aid to the Population and head of a non-governmental committee which has demanded an independent investigation into the possible ''disappearance'' of Yury Zakharenko, was charged under Article 201 (2) of the Belarusian Criminal Code with ''malicious hooliganism'' (AI Index: EUR 49/24/99). The charges related to his participation in a peaceful protest organized by the opposition on 21 July, during which he was arrested and ill-treated by police officers. Amnesty International expressed concern that he had been deliberately targeted by the Belarusian authorities to punish him for his opposition activities and to silence a vocal member of the opposition. The organization learned that the charges against him were dropped in late November. However, on 8 November the Ministry of Justice reportedly revoked the license of the Legal Aid to the Population advice centre, which permitted it to give legal advice to the general public.
Amnesty International learned that charges against the human rights lawyer Vera Stremkovskaya, under Article 128 (2) of the Belarusian Criminal Code for allegedly slandering a public official, were also dropped at the end of December (AI Index: EUR 01/02/99). The charges carried up to five years' imprisonment and Amnesty International informed the Belarusian authorities that if she were imprisoned it would consider Vera Stremkovskaya a prisoner of conscience.

Harassment of journalists and the independent press

Several prominent independent newspapers critical of the government had their registered status revoked. In other instances, independent newspapers were closed down for alleged tax violations or after losing expensive libel cases for criticizing senior government figures. The independent newspapers, Narodnaya Volya, Naviny, Imya and Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta came under particular pressure. The harassment of the independent press aroused significant criticism abroad.
In July Irina Halip, editor of the independent newspaper Imya, was arrested at the Belarusian headquarters of the Russian television station, ORT, where she had been scheduled to give an interview (AI Index: EUR 49/24/99). She was arrested on the charge that Imya had slandered the Belarusian Prosecutor General, Oleg Bozhelko, in a previous article. Irina Halip also had her travel documents confiscated by the authorities after her arrest. She was due to fly to the United States to attend meetings with fellow journalists two days later. In a press release on 23 July Amnesty International expressed the concern that the confiscation of her travel documents was part of the government's crack-down on peaceful dissent and to prevent her from talking about the political situation in the country (AI Index: EUR 49/18/99). Amnesty International learned several days later that the Belarusian authorities had eventually allowed her to visit the United States as she had originally planned. Although she was interviewed by the authorities on several occasions after her release she had not been formally charged by the end of the year.

Death penalty

The death penalty continued to be imposed frequently. In August the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Belarus, Valyantsin Sukala, told a news conference that 29 people had been executed in the first seven months of 1999. There was continued concern about the veil of secrecy surrounding the death penalty, about which information is classed as a state secret. Even after a prisoner has been executed the relatives are not informed of the date or place of execution.
In July the mother of Anton Bondarenko, who was under sentence of death and whose appeal had failed, stated that the prison authorities refused to inform her of the exact date when her son would be executed. She had visited the prison where her son was being held every day for several weeks to see if he was still alive. On 14 July she and a friend staged a picket near the Presidential Administration building to plead for Anton Bondarenko's sentence to be commuted. She was arrested by police officers and detained for three hours.
Her son was executed 10 days later on 24 July.






AI-index: EUR 49/020/2000 21/06/2000
Embargoed for : 21/06/2000 10:00 GMT
Dissent and Impunity in Belarus

Dissent and criticism are routinely subject to state repression in Belarus, Amnesty International said today launching its new report 'Belarus: Dissent and Impunity'.

''The unwillingness of the Belarusian authorities to tolerate dissent and independent thought is unacceptable,'' the organization added, highlighting the fact that the country's human rights record is marred by practices that are reminiscent of the Soviet era.

"The lack of independence of the judiciary which undermines the rule of law has led to grave abuses and allowed police impunity to flourish,'' Amnesty International continued.

The report catalogues the numerous human rights violations committed over the past two years. These include imprisonment of opposition figures, possible "disappearance" of opposition leaders, police ill-treatment and large-scale arbitrary detention of peaceful demonstrators and continuing harassment of human rights defenders, academics and independent journalists.

''1999 was a particularly bad year to be a leading member of Belarus' opposition,'' Amnesty International said. For example, former prime minister and unofficial presidential candidate Mikhail Chigir spent eight months in prison on charges of financial impropriety and is now barred from all political activity for five years.

''Mikhail Chigir is only one among several opposition figures who have been imprisoned on this pretext,'' the organization added.

Two leading opposition figures apparently "disappeared" at key political moments in 1999 and the Belarusian authorities have shown reluctance to investigate the cases. Former Minister of the Interior, Yury Zakharenko, apparently "disappeared" in May 1999, while in September Viktor Gonchar, chairman of the unofficial electoral commission, and his companion Anatoly Krasovsky also apparently "disappeared".

"Belarusian citizens beyond the realm of politics have also been subjected to arbitrary state action for their unpopular views,'' Amnesty International said.

The physicist Professor Yury Bandazhevsky, currently awaiting trial in Minsk, spent half of 1999 in prison accused of taking bribes from students. Amnesty International believes he may have been imprisoned for his outspoken criticism of a state-funded research program into the effects of explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor on the population's health.

Throughout 1999 and 2000 Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed concern about the arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of hundreds of demonstrators for peacefully protesting against President Lukashenka and questioning the legitimacy of his tenure in office. Opposition groups and a significant part of the international community have argued that President Lukashenka's term in office officially ended in July 1999 and have called for fresh elections.

Mother of three children Olga Baryalai was among at least 200 demonstrators detained during the Freedom March demonstration in October 1999. During the transfer to a detention centre in a police bus officers kicked and punched the detainees, swore and spat at them, hit them with truncheons and forced them to the floor. Upon arrival at the detention centre Olga Baryalai was released, only to be repeatedly verbally abused by the police officers, who threatened to rape her and punish her and her family.

"The case of Olga Baryalai is only one among numerous cases of arbitrary detention and alleged ill-treatment in Belarus which have come to the attention of Amnesty International," the organization said. "The use of force to stifle criticism appears to be the rule."

Outspoken human rights defenders have not escaped the attention of the Belarusian authorities. The internationally acclaimed human rights lawyer Vera Stremkovskaya has been subjected to repeated harassment and faced the prospect of imprisonment on several occasions. Another prominent human rights defender, Oleg Volchek, head of an independent commission investigating the apparent "disappearance" of Yury Zakharenko, appeared to be deliberately targeted by police officers after a demonstration in July 1999, when he was beaten and knocked unconscious.

The offices of various human rights organizations have also been subjected to inexplicable police raids and had materials and equipment confiscated. Several organizations have been burgled, losing valuable hardware and documents, while others have been threatened with eviction from their offices.

Amnesty International is calling on the Belarusian authorities to improve the country's human rights record by putting an end to the intolerance of dissent and the widespread impunity for human rights violations.
ENDS.../

Amnesty International public document - AI Index EUR 49/020/2000 - News Service Nr. 115
********************************************************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International





AI-index: EUR 49/001/2000 18/01/2000
AI Index: EUR 49/01/00

To: Health professionals
From: Medical office / Western CIS sub-regional
Date: 18 January 2000
Further information on
MEDICAL LETTER WRITING ACTION

(See AI Index: EUR 49/30/99 on 1 December 1999)
Professor Yury Bandazhevsky
BELARUS
Amnesty International has learned that Professor Yury Bandazhevsky was released on 27 December from pre-trial detention under the condition that he does not leave Minsk. The investigation into his case will continue, and reportedly can take up to 6 months.

AI received reports that Prof Yury Bandazhevsky lost around 20 kilos during his 5½ months in pre-trial detention and the condition of his health has deteriorated. His contract with the Gomel Medical Institute expired in 1999 and was not renewed. After his release he visited the Institute where students and colleagues reportedly welcomed him warmly, but at the same time the newly appointed rector apparently had changed many aspects of the research previously conducted.

Currently Prof Bandazhevsky is in Minsk (circa 250 km from Gomel), awaiting the results of the investigation.

Background

Prof Yury Bandazhevsky is a medical academic who was rector of the Gomel Medical Institute from 1990 until the end of 1999. He has been active in the research field for a number of years. As a member of a special research committee he had recently written a report about research being conducted into the Chernobyl disaster by the Institute of Radiation Medicine (part of the Belarusian Ministry of Health), criticizing the manner in which the research had been carried out and the fact that money had been spent on research which had not produced any important scientific findings.

Yury Bandazhevsky was arrested in Gomel on 13 July 1999 by police on the basis of a measure usually only used for the arrest of violent suspects and 'terrorists'. The authorities did not formally charge him until 5 August 1999. This breached Article 9 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Belarus is a state party, which requires that: "Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges brought against him". He was eventually informed that he was charged under Article 169 (3) of the Belarusian Criminal Code for allegedly taking bribes from students seeking admission to his research institute. If he is convicted, he faces between five and 15 years' imprisonment and confiscation of his property.

Recommended Actions

Amnesty International believes that Yury Bandazhevsky may have been imprisoned for his outspoken criticism of a state-funded research program into the effects of the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor on the population's health.

Further letters are requested from health professionals to the addresses listed below:
  • referring to your earlier letters if appropriate;
  • welcoming the release of Prof Yury Bandazhevsky;
  • asking the authorities for clarification of the reasons for which Prof Yury Bandazhevsky is charged;
  • expressing concerns that he might not receive a fair trial and seeking assurances that all procedures followed will meet international standards for a fair trial.

ADDRESSES

The President of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka
Respublika Belarus
220016 g. Minsk
ul. Karla Marksa, 38, Administratsia Prezidenta Respubliki Belarus
Presidentu Lukashenka A.H
Belarus
Faxes: + 375 172 22 38 72 / 26 06 10
Salutation: Dear President

Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Yuriy Sivakow
Respublika Belarus, g. Minsk, Ul. Urytskaha, 5
Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del Respubliki Belarus, Ministru Sivakowu
Faxes: + 375 172 26 12 47
Salutation: Dear Minister

The Procurator General of Belarus, Aleh Bozhelko
Respublika Belarus, 220050 g. Minsk, Ul. Internatsionalnaya, 22
Prokuratura Respubliki Belarus
Generalnomu prokuroru Bozhelku A.
Faxes: + 375 172 26 41 66
Salutation: Dear Procurator General
Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus
Igor Zelenkevich
Respublika Belarus
220010 g. Minsk
ul.
Myasnikava, 39
Ministerstvo zdravookhraneniya
Respubliki Belarus
Ministru Zelenkevichu I.
Faxes: +375 (172) 29 62 97; 22 46 27
Salutation: Dear Minister
 





Copyright (c) 1999

 


To: Subscribers, government officials, members of the press
From: Russell David Hoffman, very concerned citizen
Re: Please inquire about Prof Yuri.I. Bandazhevsky: STOP CASSINI #207
Date: October 12th, 1999
"There can be no democracy without truth, no justice without mercy, and no nuclear dispersals without ill consequences."
This issue's subjects:
  • (1) Markey Resolution: One Giant Leap for Mankind
  • (2) Please inquire about Prof Yuri.I. Bandazhevsky
  • (3) The mathematics of activism (revisited)
  • (4) Please do this today, for tomorrow you may be radioactive
  • (5) Io, Io, it's lost in space we go, Io, Io Io Io!
  • (6) On this date, an explorer -- Columbus -- was discovered by Indians
  • (7) United States Government official contact points
  • (8) Subscription information
  • (9) Authorship notes and associated links
 


(1) Markey Resolution: One Giant Leap for Mankind:
 


----- INCOMING EMAIL FROM JOHN HALLAM, FOE SYDNEY -----
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 16:33:50 +1000
To: y2k-nuclear@egroups.com, y2k-nukes@envirolink.org,
abolition-caucus@igc.org
From: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign nonukes@foesyd.org.au
Subject: Markey de-Alert resolution (WITHOUT VIRUS)
Cc: btiller@psr.org, robwcpuk@chch.planet.org.nz, kate@chch.planet.org.nz,
mbutcher@basicint.org, tmcdonald@basicint.org, basicuk@basicint.org,
djroche@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca, roched@sen.parl.gc.ca,
drielsma@cgocable.net, jbloomfield@gn.apc.org, a2000@silcom.com,
smirnowb@ix.netcom.com, maryo@nirs.org, daveknight@gn.apc.org,
cnd@gn.apc.org, hcaldic@ibm.net, sallight@earthlink.net,
marylia@earthlink.net, pswann@easynet.co.uk, Dealert99@aol.com,
prop1@prop1.org, aphil@cujo2.icom.ca, pgs@web.net,
CarolMoore@kreative.net, wsantelmann@peacenet.org, PDSLaurie@aol.com,
yumik@awa.or.jp, maritakenouchi@hotmail.com, marisens@ya2.so-net.ne.jp,
r-grayle@msn.com.au, peace@mira.net, gilbey@nsw.bigpond.net.au,
Justin.OBrien@aph.gov.au
Dear people,
I don't know how many had a copy of the Markey de-alerting resolution. This came from Alice Slater, with accompanying virus (now hopefully de-activated). I understand from our resident techie Len, that there is no way this can give you a virus. [Note to STOP CASSINI newsletter readers: We agree with that assessment; we were aware of the existence of the virus; and it was not activated at any time on our equipment. -- rdh]
It is quite excellent, and deserves support. I suggest that if you're in the US, you ask your local congressperson to support it. I am sure that US groups will be coordinating support.
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 177
Expressing the sense of the Congress that nuclear weapons should be taken off hair-trigger alert.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 5, 1999
Mr. MARKEY submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
® Expressing the sense of the Congress that nuclear weapons should be taken off hair-trigger alert.
® Whereas accidental or mistaken launch of a nuclear missile could devastate a city, and launch of a nuclear force could wreak worldwide destruction;
® Whereas the United States and Russia currently maintain thousands of nuclear weapons on `hair-trigger' alert, such that they can be fired within minutes;
® Whereas in several incidents false signals of missile attacks have triggered a process in which national leaders had to decide in only a few minutes whether to fire nuclear weapons;
® Whereas the failure of computers to recognize the year 2000 date change could infect command, control, communications, and intelligence systems, causing false signals or blank monitoring screens;
® Whereas Russian monitoring and control systems are deteriorating;
® Whereas a massive preemptive attack attempting to destroy the nuclear weapons capability of either Russia or the United States is extremely unlikely, and mutual measures to slow the firing of nuclear weapons would make a preemptive strike even more difficult;
® Whereas much of the nuclear force of each country, including submarines at sea and mobile land-based missiles, is almost invulnerable and thus would preserve retaliatory ability through a nuclear attack, making immediate firing of weapons unnecessary;
® Whereas President Bush in 1991 ordered a unilateral stand-down of United States strategic bombers and de-alerted some missiles, and Soviet President Gorbachev quickly reciprocated with similar actions, improving bilateral relations and national security;
® Whereas removing further missiles from hair-trigger alert would help alleviate recent tensions between Russia and the United States; and
® Whereas there are several ways that land and submarine based weapons could be temporarily disabled, with times ranging from minutes to weeks in order to reactivate them: Now, therefore be it
® Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the United States, Russia, and other nuclear powers should negotiate an agreement to take all of their nuclear weapons off of high-alert status in order to decrease the risk of accidental or mistaken firing of nuclear weapons;
(2) to further such an agreement, the United States should immediately take off of hair-trigger alert as many of its nuclear weapons as is feasible and consistent with national security, and should encourage Russia to reciprocate;
(3) the Department of Defense and the State Department should study methods to increase further the time needed to launch all nuclear missiles and study the effect these actions would have on nuclear deterrence, relations with other recognized nuclear powers, the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and other aspects of national security; and
(4) the President should expedite the establishment of a United States-Russian joint early-warning center to ensure accurate detection of any missiles and effective communication in the event of a false alarm, computer malfunction, accident, or diplomatic crisis, as set forth in the `Joint Statement on the Exchange of Information on Missile Launches and Early Warning', agreed to in 1998, and should facilitate the establishment of a temporary center before the end of 1999 that could address any problems which might arise due to the failure of computers to recognize the year 2000 date change.
----- END OF INCOMING EMAIL FROM JOHN HALLAM, FOE SYDNEY -----
Everyone is encouraged to contact John Hallam directly for more information about what is happening around the world. He seems to know more than just about anyone, although media are especially encouraged to contact any of the following people:
John Hallam, FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign
"John Hallam"
nonukes@foesyd.org.au
Paul Swann, Moderator- Y2K-nuclear forum:
"Paul Swann"
pswann@easynet.co.uk
Carol Moore, Freelance Activist:
"Carol Moore"
CarolMoore@kreative.net
Dr. Michio Kaku, Professor of astounding stuff:
"Michio Kaku"
mkaku@aol.com
Dr. Helen Caldicott, who puts us all to shame:
"Helen Caldicott"
hcaldic@ibm.net
 


(2) Please inquire about Prof Yuri.I. Bandazhevsky:
 


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Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 18:11:31 +0000
To: y2k-nuclear@egroups.com
From: Paul Swann
Subject: [y2k-nuclear] Prof Yuri.I. Bandazhevsky
:
Solange Fernex , President of WILPF France, has forwarded the following to me...
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Dear Colleagues,
Prof Yuri.I. Bandazhevsky was the Rector of the Gomel State Medical Institute, Gomel, Belarus. He is a pathologist, his wife a pediatrician, and he has published extensively on the health effects of Chernobyl "Clinical and experimental aspects of the effect of incorporated radionuclides upon the organism (Gomel 1995), "Structural and functional effects of radioisotopes incorporated by the organism" (Gomel 1997), always in Belarus. His work is absolutely outstanding, supported by animal experiments.
We were however unable to invite him to speak in western official congresses, which is a great pity. We proposed him for the M¸nster Congress on Low Level Radiation in November 1998, and he was refused with no clear explanation, other than "there are already too many speakers", although we had proposed him several months in advance. At the same congress in M¸nster, Prof. V. Nesterenko, also from Minsk, was denied to speak, even in the discussion, despite the fact that he was present due to the help of a NGO, and very much qualified to intervene.
This reflects the shroud of secret held in the West over possible testimonies on behalf of the victims of Chernobyl
We hear today from Belarus and the Swiss Italian Television, that Prof Bandazhevsky has been arrested mid-July, and held in isolation. No trial has been announced for the moment.
His state of health is very bad according to our sources.
It is said that a student has denounced himself for "having given Prof Bandazhevsky money to registrate in the State Medical Institute". Sources consider this to absolutely ridiculous, in view of the lack of money of students.
Sources believe this may have happened because Prof. Bandazhevsky criticized the use made of funding of 17 million of roubles of official Chernobyl help, only 10% being usefully used, 90% having been used for other purposes.
Others believe it could have something to do with his efforts to publicize the real state of health of the Chernobyl victims. While in Minsk, we visited in person his Institute of Pathology and saw a collection of about 15 - 20 heavily deformed fetuses and stillborns, he had just the day before shown to a Parliamentary Committee on Chernobyl. According to him, they were collected in 2 weeks only, whereas in a Western Universities there would be as many in one year or more.
Please help.
Please express your concern to the Embassy of Belarus in your capital, to Amnesty International (Barbara Lochbihle, others), the Chernobyl organizations in your country, the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus, care of OSCE in Vienna : (info@osce.org), the ODIHR (ania@odihr.osce.waw.pl.or), maybe the Ambassador of Russia in Washington Dr. Y. Schchterbak, to tell them the arrest of Prof. Bandazhevsky, your desire to receive news from him, what are the conditions of his detention, how is his health, what are the charges against him, did he see a lawyer, etc etc
For more details, write to Vladimir Tschertschov : mailto:eandreoli@vtx.ch
Thank you very much
Professor Michel Fernex, University of Basle, PSR/IPPNW Switzerland
Ms. Solange Fernex, President, WILPF France
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