The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

28.07.2016 Transparent Funds at all Stages is a Step to Fair Elections

Within the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections, lawyer Pavel Sapielka analyzed possibilities for participants of parliamentary elections in terms of legislative norms that regulate financing of electoral campaign, and compared the results of the research with respective international standards. The conclusions show uneven financial standing for different candidates.

27.07.2016 Independence Day Action under National Flags

Today, representatives of civil movements and activists of the Young Front have held a street action dedicated to the Declaration of State Sovereignty, adopted by the Supreme Council of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic on July 27, 1990. The day had been celebrated as the official Independence Day until 1996.

25.07.2016 Observers question campaigning equality

Valiantsin Stefanovich, expert of the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections, has been debating with Lidziya Yarmoshyna, head of the Central Election Commission, on the financial opportunities of potential candidates. The question is about the need for changes in legislation.

25.07.2016 Weekly Analytical Report: July 18-24

The process of collecting signatures is once again accompanied by abuse of administrative resources, but not as extensively as in earlier elections.

22.07.2016 Viasna calls to end harassment of Andrei Bandarenka and Mikhail Zhamchuzhny in prison

Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", has sent a petition to the Minister of the Interior and the Prosecutor General, urging the officials to put an end to the harassment of human rights defenders Andrei Bandarenka and Mikhail Zhamchuzhny currently serving their sentences in Mahilioŭ and Navasady.

22.07.2016 UN Human Rights Committee registers complaint of Henadz Yakavitski, asks for respite

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has registered an individual communication submitted on behalf of Henadz Yakavitski, who was sentenced to death on 5 January for murdering his partner back in July 2015.

21.07.2016 Double standards or negligence of election officials?

“We Want Changes!” and “Deeds After Words, Results After Deeds!” at the picket of a future candidate versus “A Million Jobs” on his T-shirt. Are these all campaign slogans? Human rights activists call for clarification over several warnings issued by district electoral commissions for “illegal campaigning” by some nominees and the absence of claims in a similar situation to the others.

20.07.2016 Viasna writes to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over Dzmirty Paliyenka case

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has informed the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention about the pre-trial detention of Belarusian activist Dzmitry Paliyenka, who is currently held in custody awaiting trial over his involvement in the Critical Mass cycling event on April 29 in Minsk.

19.07.2016 ‘Political qualities’ to prevail when selecting candidates to precinct elections commissions

The current election campaign is no exception: the election commissions are likely to have only loyal members. Lawyer Pavel Sapelka has commented on the recent response by the CEC head to his proposal to abandon such criteria ‘political qualities’ in the selection of members of the PECs.

15.07.2016 Prison doctor to stand trial over fatal neglect

The Prosecutor General's Office has completed the investigation into the death of Ihar Ptsichkin in jail No. 1 of Minsk in August 2014. According to latest information, the criminal case against paramedic Aliaksandr Krylou will soon reach the court.

14.07.2016 Azimjan Askarov Case: decision of Supreme Court nowhere near implementation of UN Views

Paris-Geneva, July 13, 2016 - Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan ordered a fresh appeal hearing before the Chuy Regional Court in Bishkek in the case of human rights defender Azimjan Askarov, and left his life sentence conviction unchanged, FIDH said. Azimjan Askarov remains behind bars in blatant violation of the Views of the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR), which concluded on April 21 that “Kyrgyzstan must take appropriate steps to immediately release him”.

11.07.2016 Report on the registration of nomination groups

The process of registration of nomination groups (initiative groups) of candidates for the House of Representatives was more democratic than that during the previous election campaign.

11.07.2016 26 NGOs Call for Release of Bahraini Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab

Tomorrow, 12 July 2016, the trial of the prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab begins. Facing charges related to comments on the social media website Twitter, Rajab may be sentenced to more than ten years in prison.

08.07.2016 Political prisoner Zhamchuzhny reports harassment in prison

Political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny is facing severe harassment ‘on all fronts’ in penal colony No. 14 near Barysaŭ, according to his recent letters.

08.07.2016 Human rights activists criticize CEC head over ‘political qualities’

The term of ‘political qualities’, which has no explanation in the electoral law, but remains an important criterion for the selection of candidates to the election commissions, should be removed from the CEC’s Decision No. 18, says Pavel Sapelka, analyst of the campaign Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections.