The Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 is a
United States federal law that authorizes assistance for
political parties,
non-governmental organizations, and independent media working to advance
democracy and
human rights in Belarus
The government of Belarus is criticized for its human rights violations and persecution of non-governmental organisations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. In a testimony to the United States Senate Com ...
.
The act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, by voice vote, on October 4, 2004; was passed by the U.S. Senate, by unanimous consent, on October 6, 2004; and was signed into law by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
on October 20, 2004. It is codified, as amended, at 22 U.S.C. 5811 note.
The law expresses the sense of Congress that the
Belarusian authorities should not receive various types of non-humanitarian financial aid from the U.S. It also calls for the President to report to Congress on arms sales by Belarus to state sponsors of
terrorism and on the personal wealth and assets of senior Belarus officials.
The U.S., said President Bush in his signing statement of October 20, 2004, "will work with our allies and partners to assist those seeking to return Belarus to its rightful place among the Euro-Atlantic community of democracies."
All three bills were introduced by Representative
Chris Smith of
New Jersey.
Earlier versions of the act that were introduced in 2001 and 2003 but not enacted into law were more severe, prohibiting travel of Belarusian officials, freezing assets, blocking certain trade, and referring to the role of Russia.
Aftermath
Spokesman
Richard Boucher
Richard A. Boucher (born 1951 in Bethesda, Maryland) is an American diplomat who was deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 2009 until 2013. He took up post on November 5, 2009. Pri ...
of the U.S. Department of State stated, according to an October 26, 2004 editorial in the ''Voice of America'', that the U.S. was concerned about the Belarusian government's increasingly repressive steps against independent news media and pro-democracy groups. He further stated that Belarusian
security forces used excessive force against peaceful protesters following the parliamentary elections and referendum.
Belarusian President
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukas ...
and his government were highly displeased with the passage of the act.
On December 8, 2006, the
United States House of Representatives passed, and (following Senate enactment) on January 12, 2007, President Bush signed into law, the Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2006, a statute amending and updating the act.
On January 3, 2012, President Obama signed into law the Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011, further amending and updating the act.
See also
*
References
External links
Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, H.R. 854, Public Law No. 108-347 (Oct. 20, 2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belarus Democracy Act Of 2004
United States foreign relations legislation
Belarus–United States relations
Acts of the 108th United States Congress
2004 in Belarus
2004 in international relations