The leaders of the European Union’s member countries issued a declaration condemning Belarus for its "deteriorating" record on human rights and rule of law as a result of the September 29-30 EU Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw after the delegations of five post-Soviet nations participating in the Eastern Partnership – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – had spoken out against including a paragraph to this effect in the summit’s joint declaration.
“Belarusian bars are becoming Justice Ministry’s department”, - say the participants of the International Congress of the European Bars Federation held in Wroclaw in late September, where Belarusian lawyers were represented by Pavel Sapelka, deprived of his license for involvement in politically-motivated criminal cases.
A number of students of Brest Technical University have been reportedly forced to sign a written undertaking not to take part in unauthorized streets events, in particular, so called “silent protests”, Radio Racyja reports.
Brest human rights defender Raman Kisliak has lodged a complaint with the regional executive committee and local prosecutor’s office, appealing the ban imposed on a demonstration against forced disappearances scheduled for 30 September, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
On 29 September, Minsk police searched the apartment of Belarusian Popular Front activist Siarzhuk Semianiuk, who is facing criminal charges for alleged using violence against a security guard outside the party’s office, www.belaruspartisan.org reports.
Homel human rights defenders Anatol Paplauny and Leanid Sudalenka have received a reply from deputy head of Minsk City Prosecutor’s Office Kanstantsin Kezhun, saying that the pre-trial detention of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski was chosen considering the gravity of the alleged offence.
On 30 September, the Belarusian border troops did not allow Ukrainian activist of the International Observation Mission of the Committee of International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus Volodymyr Senko to enter the country.
 |
|
 |