Mikhail Chigir

Mikhail Chigir
Prime Minister of Belarus
In office 21 July 1994 – 18 November 1996
President	Alexander Lukashenko
Preceded by	Vyachaslau Kebich
Succeeded by	Sergey Ling

Mikhail Chigir was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.

Career

Chigir was appointed Prime Minister the day following the inauguration of Alexander Lukashenko as President.^[1] Prior to this, he served as head of Belagroprombank, a bank specializing in agricultural pursuits.

Resignation

In 1996, Chigir resigned as Prime Minister in protest of Lukashenko's efforts to gain unlimited authority over the country. The following year he became a signatory of Charter 97.^[2] In 1999, he announced he would run for President of Belarus in order to unseat Lukashenko.

Arrest

On March 30, 1999, Chigir was arrested by the Belarusian government. It was alleged that he embezzled large sums of money involving loans while in charge of Belagroprombank. Chigir argued that the loans were not due to be repaid until after he was no longer with the bank, thus the money did not involve him. Prior to Chigir's arrest, several other officials who had been attempting to organize a campaign against Lukashenko were continuously repressed by the government, including Viktar Hanchar, who was arrested and later disappeared and eventually presumed murdered, allegedly under the order of someone close to the President. Chigir's arrest received negative reactions from governments around the world and his release was demanded by the US State Department, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Additionally, Amnesty International demanded his release and deemed him a prisoner of conscience.^[3] The International League for Human Rights also protested his arrest. Chigir ultimately avoided jail time, receiving a three-year suspended sentence with a two-year probationary period.^[4] Following the trial, he stated his intention to run for election to the House of Representatives of Belarus.

References

1. ^ "Mikhail Chigir: Background". International League for Human Rights. http://www.ilhr.org/belarus/chigirversion.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 
2. ^ "Mikhail Chyhir (Chigir) - Businessman and Former Prime Minister". Belarus Miscellany. http://www.belarus-misc.org/who/ltr-chigir.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 
3. ^ "Document - Belarus: Prisoner of Conscience: Mikhail Chigir". Amnesty International. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR49/006/1999/en/53f44e9b-e1db-11dd-a03a-6b5b1e49bce3/eur490061999en.html. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 
4. ^ "Mikhail Chigir Won't Go to Jail. Belaruss Ex-Prime Minister Gets Three-Year Suspended Sentence". The Current Digest of the Russian Press. http://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/13530586. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 

Persondata
Name	Chigir, Mikhail
Alternative names
Short description	Prime Minister of Belarus
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death