The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

A criminal case against one of the leaders of the Young Front Artur Finkevich has been submitted to the court of Kastrychnitski district of Mahiliou. It is expected that the court trial is to start in two weeks headed by judge Krachyk.

Today entrepreneurs Ales Talstyka and Ruslan Lutsenka are to stand trial in the court of Zavodski district of Minsk.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene van der Linden has called upon the authorities of Belarus to vacate death sentences to Syarhei Marozau, Ihar Danchenka and Valery Harbaty, who were sentenced to execution by the Supreme Court in 2006, the statement by the PACE head reads.

seniya Avimava, a free-lance correspondent of a non-governmental economic weekly “Belarusians and Market”, is to disburse 22 million roubles for her refusal to honor the post-study working assignment and work for two years at Valozhyn state regional newspaper “Pracounaja Slava” (“Working Glory”).

One of the 12th recommendations of the EU to Belarus is “holding due independent investigation or revision of the cases of citizens’ disappearance”. On October 30 relatives of the oppositionists abducted in Belarus, Zinaida Hanchar, Iryna Krasouskaya, Svyatlana Zavadskaya, Volha Zavadskaya, and their legal representatives Harry Pahanyajla and Aleh Vouchak have handed over to the prosecutor general of Belarus a document, based on public investigation of these high-profile cases.

On November 27th, Mikola Kananovich, a journalist of a non-governmental periodical “Gazeta Slonimskaya”, received a phone call summoning him for a conversation “with no protocol” at the Slonim KGB branch.

Presidential decree #760 is to come into force on January 1. According to the decree, only legal entities – state-owned or private – will be authorized to employ workforce. Nevertheless, more than 90 percent of entrepreneurs refused to register as legal entities – private unitary enterprise – even though the procedure was sometimes facilitated. Will they keep on their work after the New Year? What are the sentiments of entrepreneurs today?

Katsiaryna Salauyova, Young Front activist, was detained in Polatsak on Sunday night. The girl was caught by unknown people in civvies and taken to a police department by force. The victim tells the details of her detainment to the Young Front press service.

The first non-state TV channel for Belarusians BelSat begins broadcasting from December, 10. The Gomel KGB is trying to find out who of the local journalists is going to work for independent TV.