The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

On 26 July, Mazyr human rights defender Uladzimir Tseliapun received negative replies from local district executive committee and council concerning his application for holding a demonstration on 4 August to demand the release of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski.

Siarzhuk Rusetski and Tamara Shchapiotkina, pro-democratic activists from the town of Biaroza, Brest region, have received a reply to their proposals on amending the electoral legislation.

Valiantsina Hlukhava, member of the initiative group of Speak the Truth activist Aksana Samuilava, who is running for Parliament in constituency No. 79, has not been allowed canvassing for votes inside a number of local hostels.

Human rights lawyer Pavel Sapelka says the current situation of journalist Anton Surapin, who has been reportedly denied access to his lawyer for two days, may repeat the events of December 2010, when persons arrested on charges of involvement in mass riots were not able to meet their counsels for weeks.

Mrs. Nina Bahinskaya, activist of the Belarusian Popular Front “Christian Conservative Party”, has been detained while displaying a white-red-white flag outside Minsk Pershamaiski District Court.

The authorities of the town of Zhodzina have banned a picket in support of Ales Bialiatski and other political prisoners scheduled for 4 August.

27.07.2012 Polish MEP Marek Migalski, as a participant in Libereco-Partnership for Human Rights’ Prisoner’s Godparenthood Campaign, issued a statement on the situation in Belarus, which was supported by 14 other international members of parliament. Today, they expressed their support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and called upon Belarusian authorities to cease the persecution of dissidents, human rights defenders and journalists in Belarus and to release and exonerate all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.