We remember... Gennady Karpenko

GENNADY KARPENKO – ADVOCATE OF DEMOCRATIC STATE GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMIC REFORMS On September 17, 1999 Genady Karpenko would have celebrated his 50th birthday if not for his tragic death on April 6, 1999. The political heritage that he left Belarus survived. Political and economic developments of Belarus today confirm the necessity of democratic changes and economic reforms.

Carrying out reforms aimed at formation of a democratic pluralist society was the goal of Gennady Karpenko’s life. He deeply understood the political climate in the country and could work out the strategy of reforms. He could offer an alternative to the policy of the incumbent president at the presidential election in 2001. In order to challenge the policy of the president it is necessary to strengthen democratic forces of the country and ensure their access to mass media. It is also vital to guarantee human rights. These are the principles that formed the foundation of Gennady Karpenko’s life and activities. It is the only way to change the future of the country.

It is the desire to bring changes that lead Karpenko. He met common people, journalists, politicians, and foreign officials after adoption of the authoritarian constitution in 1996. It is the reason why he decided not to take part in the presidential elections that were announced by the 13th Supreme Council.

Democratic norms, respect of human rights, building the state based on rule of law, growth of welfare of the people as a result of economic development – all these things can be achieved only by means of conducting free and fair internationally recognizable election. Democratic forces need support of democratic countries both close and distant. But they can rely on their help if their strategy is based on principles of peaceful solution of disputes and if they have a solid democratic platform based on supremacy of law.

Gennady Karpenko saw the way out of the crisis not only in legitimization of power but also in establishing democratic rights and freedoms such as freedom of assembly and of expression. It means access to state mass media especially to electronic ones. During all his political career being a mayor of Molodechno, deputy Chairman of the United Civil Party and Deputy Chariman of the presidium of the 13th Supreme Council he was pragmatic in shaping both domestic and foreign policy. He achieved much in science and management of industrial enterprises. He understood that legal claims to gain power could not lead to solving problems of the country. They can be solved only by working out the political strategy and by finding allies both inside the country and abroad, both in the West and in Moscow. He made detailed analysis of the situation in the country and made vivid and clear presentations especially on economic issues. Not long before his death he worked on systemic analysis of the economic system in Belarus. His unfinished articles were published in the independent press on April 29, 1999. It was written in the form of an open letter to president Lukashenko. Karpenko predicted deterioration of the situation as a consequence of the inflationary policy. He also analyzed the situation around politically motivated cases of prosecution of such well-known persons as Klimov, Vinnikova, Leonov, and Starovoitov. This open letter is worth being read and reread.

Today political parties that support democracy, pluralism, human rights, rule of law may be close to reaching unity.

Reaching these goals with support of the international community in particular S-Petersburg Declaration of Parliamentary Assemble of OSCE on Belarus of July 10 will mean that advocates of democracy in Belarus act in the spirit of Gennady Karpenko who is a democratic politician – reformer with big authority both inside and outside Belarus.

Hans Georg Wiek,
Head of Advisory Monitoring Group
of OSCE in Belarus
September 16, 1999

— Gennady Dmitrievich can you try to take the post of president and imagine what you would do?

— It is difficult to say what he is doing now. Any political or administrative changes must be made after clear statement of the course of reforms. The president has been running the country for the fourth month and I have not heard anything about the course and where out economy is heading to. As for election promises let people who trusted him and voted for him analyze his performance.

I’d rather avoid political quarrels and prosecution. By the way my colleagues and I are being followed. I am sure that it is done purely for political reasons. All this ballyhoo about fight with corruption was necessary to win election. If there are facts and evidence of criminal activities of a director or a government official it should be stated clearly. “Communist campaign to fight” another social plague is a bluff. This principle was dead long time ago as fight with alcoholism Soviet way and wide scale search for enemies. I want people to keep that in mind. One’s memory when the issue does not concern you personally. There are all prerequisites in our society for a wide scale campaign to search for enemies of the people. But he who rejoices today may wake up one morning and find his name on the list of enemies. People must require concrete economic changes. If reforms are difficult to do today we must know when they will be started.

— Gennady Dmitriyevich, many ex-opposition parties cooperate with Lukashenko today. His opponents in the election campaign took his side. Why don’t you talk to the president?

— Why am I not a member of his team? My views and values are different from those of Alexander Lukashenko. I understand life differently. I do not consider him my political rival. Our starting conditions are quite different.

Tina Klykovskaya
“7 days” November 1994

President Alexander Lukashenko in the interview to the Siberial television accused Gennady Karpenko of serious crimes. Fragments of this interview were shown on Belarusian TV on August 22. Head of the state maintained that a group of Belarusian politicians (Karpenko is a member of it) deliberately blocked cotton delivery from Uzbekistan. We addressed the accused deputy for clarification.

— Gennady Dmitriyevich, president mentioned your name in connection with so called “cotton case’. What do you think about it?

— This accusation was like a bolt from the blue for me. I can not find any rational explanation for it.

— President referred to the information of the intelligence.

— I got in touch with our intelligence service. They responded, “we hear it for the first time. There are no facts, no evidence against you.

— What did you do in this situation?

— I brought a suit against Lukashenko. The sum of the suit is 2 billion rubles. I believe it will be enough to buy a few freight cars of cotton and deliver it to the Baranovichi plant to process it. Lukashenko promised to solve “the woman” issue when he was there.

— Have you even been to Tashkent?

— Yes. I was in Tashkent in 1985 at the scientific conference on friction and wear. By the way I was awarded for the best report there. Many actions were plotted against me. This one is just ridiculous. I just can not imagine that a big group of politicians was set to block cotton deliveries.

— What do you think about the rumor that president will sign a decree that will strip deputies off immunity?

— I believe that every citizen must hold responsibility for what he did. It does not matter whether he is deputy or not.

If such decree is signed it violates the Constitution and the Law on the status of the deputy. I am sure if the president chose the legal way and introduced a draft for approval of the Supreme Council deputies would support him.

Valentin Zhdanko
“Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta”
№ 64, August 28, 1995

Cotton is a strategic raw material. Deeds directed against defense system of the country are considered treason. The punishment for it is from 10 to 15 years of imprisonment and confiscation of property or even capital punishment (article 61 of the Criminal Code). 3,5 years is enough to finish the investigation, arrange a show trial, and show the real nature of the “enemy of the people”. However among loud cases that are under personal supervision of the Head of the state, the Karpenko cotton case is not mentioned. Consequently the accusation of the Deputy of the 13th Supreme Council is illegal.

Now all Belarus sees that. The offended deputy knew it from the very beginning. That is why Gennady Karpenko according to the Constitution addressed the Court of the Central district of Minsk and claimed material compensation in the amount of 2 billion rubles (rate of exchange that existed in 1995). However neither Central District Court nor any other court in the country accepted the claim. As it turned out nobody knew where Lukashenko lived, i.e. what address is indicated in his residence permit. But the offended MP kept insisting and the Administration had to reveal the address of residence of the president. It was in the Partisanski district of Minsk without indication of the exact address. The “independent’ court of the partisan district of the capital did not even start the court proceedings. In three years the judge A. Avdeychik closed the case. Deputy Gennady Karpenko got the document that said, “…your case on protection honor and dignity was suspended until Law “On Honor and Dignity of President of the Republic of Belarus” is drafted and passed”. This law should determine the mechanism for suing the president.

The lawyer A. Avdeychik seems not to understand the notion on “non-discrimination of citizens”. According to the Constitution all citizens are equal. It refers both to president and to a homeless vagabond. For the professional lawyer, President Lukashenko is more important in that the citizen Lukashenko can fire the judge but the citizen Karpenko can not.

Since what time do courts work according to laws that do not exist? Gennady Karpenko asked this question to Chairman of the Supreme Court. He hoped that Mr. Sukalo demanded the district court to strictly obey the Constitution. Hardly. He can also be fired by the Head of the state.

Nikita Pigul, “Narodnaya Volya” № 224 1998

Dear Deputies, I often ask myself, “Is everything that is happening in our republic in the last two years accidental?” Step by step – people in masks enter the Supreme Council, beating up deputies, carrying guns and having them in this building (it if prohibited), different intelligence service units are in the building if any demonstration takes place, shot balloons… By the way I listened to the tape that documented the conversation when the balloon was being shot. I wish you could listen to it. It is savagery, pure savagery.

The further you move ahead the worse the situation is. Innocent boys and girls are beaten. Demonstrators are beaten. Finally there was shooting. I am telling you Valentin Stepanovich (G. Karpenko is addressing Minister of Interior V. Agolets) I knew two months ago that some politicians would be shot at. You did not work on it. I know who did. I personally addressed Nikolai Fyodorovich (N. Karpiyevich, Chairman of the Commission for National Security, Defense and fight with corruption) – he can prove that – and I addressed one more high ranking official (I won’t name him now) and told them about plots against certain politicians. Is it true Nikolai Fyodorovich? One police officer was present there too. This chain will grow. I know where money is being gathered. Names of politicians to be killed are mentioned. That is why Valentin Stepanovich, I ask you to see to that issue.

Another aspect. Valentin Stepanovich I respect you as a person. I respect any person who served all the way from a rank of file soldier up to marshal. Nobody assisted you in your career. You have achieved everything with your own efforts. Do not stick now with pseodo-provocateur and pseudo-politicians. Their time will pass quickly. An honest man must be preserved. It is an important asset of every officer, any general. It is strange. Valentin Stepanovich says that they did not understand that they were instructed to deliver Gonchar’s driver from the temporary detention prison to court. That is why he was out there in order to be brought to court later. What if you were told to bring him from the morgue? Would you kill him first before bringing him to court?

That is why Valentin Stepanovich I address you once again with great respect: stay away from this politics. It is true that dirty politicians are trying to engage the army, police and KGB into these affairs. We know what working meetings you conduct, what orders you give. For example on May 29 you instructed how to beat, what parts of the body to beat and how to use guns. People talk about these meetings. I want to tell you that your orders are strictly followed. I myself saw in Molodechno when special troops grab each person and beat him in the area of kidneys. That is what is being done. We do not need such order. If you took responsibility for order in the country – doing it without beating ordinary citizens. This policy, if we can call it policy, is being shaped during the last 2 years. The president orders not to obey laws. That is a diagnosis. And we do not have to talk to the prosecutor and accuse him. Our status is as high as that of the prosecutor, Minister of Interior, Chairman of KGB. If Head of the state orders not to obey laws he is responsible. If the head of the state says that Hitler is a model of a politician for him – he must hold responsibility for such words and such policy.

I urge you to think where the place of our republic is. Let’s throw all political cards both communist and democratic. Frankly all democrats came out from communists. Let’s forget about our political affiliation and think about our republic. There are many issues that all political parties can support. We should work on these issues: our political system, legal protection system, and of course, our economy. I am deeply convinced that there is good will and brains in every political party. We must leave trifles and personal ambitions behind. I feel that we are very close to that period. Half a year passed and we began to understand each other better. We need very little. However there are people who do not need our coordination and cooperation. They are bankrupt politicians who have failed to pursue any reasonable policy, economic policy in the first place. Today they play with one political force. Tomorrow they play with another. All of us must think about it. If we forget petty quarrels that will finally lead to full bankruptcy both of the parliament and the executive power we will solve all the problems of our country.

I urge you to think about the situation. When intelligent people sit together and start working they will show positive results and all dirt will immediately disappear. And the last point. We are really heading towards very strong isolation. They can say that the West dose not accept us that Europe does not accept us. God bless them. But even our neighbors do not understand us. They do not understand our policy. On the le-vel of leaders of states we quarreled almost with everybody. We do not even talk with Russia on the level of leaders. The Baltic states do not get our policies. Ukraine does not understand it. In Russia, Eltsyn makes vague comments. Zero varians – nothing else. No deputy has seen the documents. This policy is really worth nothing.

I do not appeal to fight. I do not want to touch the elected “daddy” (batska). I won’t deal with him because of one thing, I can not descend to his level. I can not blame him as people ask. “What have you done?” That is why I appeal to you, “Let’s unite!” Bad guys will pass and good guys will be in power. Pseudo-politics will disappear.

And I address you dear force ministers and you Valentin Stepanovich. For God’s sake do not turn our streets into a slaughter house. You are being pushed to do it. You are an honest soldier. You are an honest general. I repeat once again, “we will have a normal republic and decent people will run it”.

P.S. As readers noticed, G. Karpenko did not read his speech and that is why the editor decided to keep his style.

“Narodnaya Volya” № 59, June 4, 1996

It happened in day light in 12.20 at the crossroads of Skaryny Avenue and Surganova Street “Volkswagen Jetta” owned by Michail Yezubchik, assistant –secretary of Gennady Karpenko stopped at the crossroads on the red light when the shot was made. Michail Fyodorovich said that after a telephone conversation with the Vice speaker he was going to the building of the Supreme Council to bring Karpenko home for lunch. Evidently one of the passengers of “BMW” shot. Zubchik also said that another car took part in this accident. It blocked his car at the crossroads and disappeared.

It was this car that Gennady Karpenko took very regularly to go to work and back home. He sometimes drove it himself. Fortunately Michail Yezubchik was not hurt. The bullet hit the car. The accident is real. There is no doubt about it. It is difficult to fake an accident in the center of the city. A criminal case was opened.

Ivan Babichev, “Imya”, № 39 October 25, 1996

P.S. It could be expected that the case was soon closed.

Index || Next page >>