04.02.2010 BelSat journalist sentenced to 10 days of prison

Ivan Shulha, journalist of the Poland-based BelSat independent TV channel, has been sentenced to 10 days of imprisonment for violating Article 17.1 of the Civil Code (disorderly conduct).

04.02.2010 Minsk and Homel courts support non-inclusion of opposition candidates

On 2, 3 and 4 February Minsk city court and Homel regional court ruled against a number of BPF ‘Adradzhennie’, BPF and UCPB members, appealing the decisions by Minsk and Homel authorities not to include the candidates in respective electoral committees.

04.02.2010 Barysau: UCPB’s run in election depends on formation of divisional election committees

The final decision concerning the UCPB’s running in the forthcoming local council elections will be made after divisional election committees are formed, says Mikhas Vasilieu, head of the UCPB Barysau office.

04.02.2010 Orsha town electoral committee loses constituency

According to a list of constituencies published in the Arshanskaya hazeta local newspaper, 3,385 voters are ‘lost’ by Orsha town electoral committee, as compared with the previous election campaign.

04.02.2010 Belarus national released on demand by Strasbourg Court

Ihar Koktysh, 29-year-old Belarusian activist and rock musician, charged with a grave crime by the Belarusian authorities, has been released from a pre-trial detention center in Simferopol, Crimea peninsula, Ukraine, after 2.5 years of imprisonment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

04.02.2010 Siarhei Kavalenka’s case reaches General Prosecutor

The criminal case of Vitsebsk Conservative Christian Party BPF member Siarhei Kavalenka reached General Prosecutor’s Office, after over a week of uncertainty about the investigation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, quoting the activist’s legal counsel Piotr Kavalenka.

04.02.2010 European Union condemns decree on Internet censorship in Belarus

The European Union thinks the decree puts more restrictions on freedom of speech in Belarus.

Lutz Guellner, a spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, commented on the decree regulating activity of websites in Belarus, Radio Svaboda reports.

04.02.2010 Statement by the Union of Belarusian Writers on harassment of the Union’s members

After the formation of the Public Association ‘The Union of the Writers of Belarus’ (UWB) in 2006, the Association’s management, assisted by the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Culture, together with their departments, have been taking numerous purposeful measures aimed at the suppression of the activities by Belarus’ oldest writer’s union – the Union of Belarusian Writers (UBW).