The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

During a special press-conference on 15 July in Minsk, Leanid Huliaka, head of the State Committee for Religious and National Affairs, spoke in favour of the closure of the New Life Protestant Church by Minsk city authorities. According to Mr.Huliaka, the church failed to register at its address at 72 Kavaliova St. ‘It was not reregistered, since its building was not meant for services. The priests turned the building into a church without permission. That is why Minsk authorities cannot register the association at the address,’ said the official.

For Freedom member Mikita Krasnou has been fined BYR 210,000 for failure to appear at tax inspection and is threatened with more severe punishment for organizing ‘educational clubs.’ The tax inspection is sure the training could not be carried out free of charge. They suspect Mikita Krasnou of failing to declare the income he could have received for it. As a result, the activist is facing several million worth fine.

Belarusian politician Siarhei Salash has not been allowed to leave the country as he was going through the customs at Minsk-2 international airport due to ‘a travel ban.’ Mr.Salash was going to the USA to take part in an educational programme. A few days before he had visited Lithuania and had no problems while crossing the border.

The Bernadine Catholic church situated in downtown Minsk will not be transferred to the possession of believers since there are no vacant premises for the state archive, which has been stored in the building for years, BelaPAN reports. According to Leanid Huliaka, State Commissioner for Religious and National Affairs, ‘the administration of the archive do not object to handing over the church, but there are no specially equipped buildings for it in Minsk.’

The longest hunger strike ever held by Belarusian political prisoners was stopped on July 16, the Day of Belarusian Solidarity.

Website www.charter97.org learnt this information today morning from political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich’s lawyer Pavel Sapelka, who visited his client in detention facility #1 in Minsk. The hunger strike lasted for three months, since April 16. The prisoner has lost 35 kilograms for this period.

Judge of Vitsebsk regional court found the human rights activist guilty of stirring up religious and ethnic discord.

Leanid Svetsik must pay a fine of 31 mln Br ($10,890).

In his turn, as Radio Svaboda notes, the human rights activist strongly objects the verdict and believes he had been convicted illegally.

In 2006–2007, Leanid Svetsik was rendering legal aid to Vitsebsk activists, who received letters with threats on behalf of unregistered pro-Nazi organization Russian National Unity, was helping to prepare complaints to prosecutors.