DECLARATION

“On the public hearings concerning environmental impact of the construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant”

 
Approved on 16/10/2009 by the Working Group of the Assembly of Pro-democratic Non-governmental Organizations of Belarus 
 
On October, 9 in Astraviets (Harodnia region) public hearings concerning environmental impact of the construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant were held. However, the event was organized in such a way, that does not allow to consider it an adequate public discussion of the problem:

1. Representatives of numerous non-governmental organizations were not allowed to participate in the event and discuss the issue of constructing nuclear plant. Meanwhile representatives of the interested public, who managed to get into the hall where the meeting took place, were not given the word. Organizers of the hearings gave the word almost exclusively to the supporters of the nuclear power plant construction, limiting the possibility of expressing alternative points of view.
2. We are particularly concerned with the fact that representatives of non-governmental organizations from Minsk and other cities were clearly prevented from participation in the hearings. Thus, the problem of constructing nuclear power plant was artificially reduced to the issue of a local level, whereas in fact it is a national issue, which concerns public throughout the country.
3. The content of discussion at the hearings did not refer to the document “Evaluation of environmental impact of construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant”. The process of hearings was dedicated mostly to the promotion of nuclear energy and socio-economic benefits of opening large enterprise in Astraviets region. Concrete assessment of the environmental impact of the nuclear power station was left without attention, no one had possibility even to read critical remarks regarding the contest of the document. Russian expert Andrej Azharouski, which had to bring to the meeting brochures with critical comments on the “Evaluation of environmental impact of construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant”, was detained by law enforcement agencies in the building, where the meeting was held (later he was unjustly sentenced to 7 days of arrest).  
   Based on the above circumstances, the Working Group of the Assembly of NGOs came to the conclusion that the discussion, organized on October, 9 in the town Astraviets (Harodnia region) cannot be recognized as a public hearing, devoted to the evaluation of environmental impact Belarusian nuclear power plant, in the sense this event is treated by the Aarhus Convention.