The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 4 Jan 2011

04.01.2011 Marasmus of law machinery: Dzmitry Fedaruk to spend 18 days in jail

A youth activist Dzmitry Fedaruk was arrested for 10 days for participation in the protest action of 19 December. However, he wasn’t released after these ten days. It’s unbelievable, but he will have to serve 8 days of arrest which he hadn’t served for participation in the unauthorized mass action held on 1 May 2008!

04.01.2011 Father voted after death

Valery Zhalubouski, resident of the village of Narach, Miadzel district: my father, Uladzislau Zhalubouski, born in 1937, died on 16 December. On 19 December my mother came to the polling station to vote and asked whether she could vote for him. However, she was answered that he had already voted, on 18 December!

04.01.2011 Ex-presidential candidate Ryhor Kastusiou appeals results of election at Supreme Court

Ryhor Kastusiou has applied to the Supreme Court of Belarus with the request to review the results of the Central Election Commission concerning the acknowledgement of the presidential election. His application includes the enumeration of the violations that were registered by observers, members of election commissions and electioneering agents of candidates.

04.01.2011 KGB bans Vital Rymasheuski to hold press-conference

The former prisoner of the KGB jail, ex-presidential candidate Vital Rymasheuski says that he had to cancel his press-conference he intended to hold on 4 January.

04.01.2011 Search at the apartment of BelSat journalist Ales Barazenka

The apartment of Aliaksandr Barazenka, a journalist for the Polish satellite TV channel BelSat was searched as well. Mr. Barazenka managed to inform the BelSat representative Mikhail Yanchuk about it. According to Mr. Yanchuk, the search at Barazenka’s started at 6 a.m. and lasted for about two hours.

04.01.2011 Search at the apartment of Aliaksandr Piatkevich

A democratic activist Aliaksandr Piatkevich informed human rights defenders about the search that had been conducted by KGB officers in his apartment. A computer and information carriers were confiscated from him as a result.

04.01.2011 Search at human rights defender Nasta Loika’s apartment

At about 12.40 a.m. Nasta’s mother called to her and said that unknown police or KGB officers tried to burst into their apartment to hold a search there. Nasta asked the neighbors to tell them not to break the apartment door till her arrival. Then she came to the house in the company of the human rights defenders Ales Bialiatski, Aleh Hulak and a representative of the Committee of International Control over the situation of human rights in Belarus.

04.01.2011 Arrestee Mikhail Pashkevich has bronchitis

As said by one of the people released from the jail in Akrestsin Street, the civil activist Mikhail Pashkevich who is still kept there has bronchitis.

04.01.2011 Real number of protesters kept in jail in Akrestsin Street was kept in secret

On 3 January the people who had been sentenced to 15 days of arrest for participation in the mass action of protest on 19 December were released from the delinquents’ isolation center in Akrestsin Street.

04.01.2011 Mikalai Statkevich has been on hunger-strike for half a month already

The politician didn’t make any demands, because the sense of his hunger-strike is clear. He wants the election results to be cancelled due to mass falsifications. Mikalai Statkevich is not going to stop his hunger strike, associates of the political prisoner told belaruspartisan.org .