The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

15.02.2016 Journalist Kanstantsin Zhukouski charged with 2 more offenses

On February 13, freelance journalist Kanstantsin Zhukouski received by mail two administrative reports sent by the employees of Žlobin district police department. He is again accused of violating Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code – illegal manufacture of media products.

12.02.2016 Court in Homieĺ rejects human rights defender’s lawsuit against customs officers and border guards

The Homieĺ District Court rejected yesterday a lawsuit lodged by local human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka against the border and customs officers to demand 1 billion rubles in moral and material damage. Judge Aliaksandr Lisouski said that using violence to detain citizens at border was legal.

12.02.2016 KGB Forces Picture Editor To Admit Collaborating With Belsat

“Andrei” from the KGB came to the picture editor’s place of work and demanded to admit collaborating with independent TV channel.

12.02.2016 Viasna protests dissolution of Agora NGO in Russia

The Human Rights Center "Viasna" expresses its protest against a court order to close down a known Russian human rights organization Agora.

11.02.2016 Minsk court fines protesters against police violence

The Court of Minsk’s Lieninski district heard today the administrative charges brought against nine participants in a peaceful protest against police-related violence staged outside the building of the Supreme Court on January 30.

10.02.2016 A Heart That Never Dies available online (video)

A film about human rights defender Ales Bialiatski from the documentary series A Heart That Never Dies by filmmakers Erling Borgen of Norway and Tom Heinemann of Denmark is available online.

10.02.2016 Valiantsin Stefanovich meets with UK Foreign Office Political Director

Valiantsin Stefanovich, Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" met yesterday with Simon Gass, Political Director at the British Foreign Office.

09.02.2016 Miklós Haraszti: “No changes in dismal human rights situation since presidential election” in Belarus

GENEVA (9 February 2016) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, today warned that opposition leaders, human rights activists, journalists, and many other citizens have been subjected to harassment, administrative procedures and fines since the October presidential election.

09.02.2016 Human rights activist asks Prosecutor's Office to check publication on government-run website for extremism

Tatsiana Reviaka, member of the Board of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, has sent an appeal to the Prosecutor’s Office of Mahilioŭ asking the officials to check a publication on the website vecherniy-mogilev.by, which she says may contain elements of extremism.

08.02.2016 Belarusian government sees no politics in Yury Rubtsou’s case

The Belarusian government has responded to a complaint submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee on behalf of former political prisoner Yury Rubtsou. The letter says that Rubtsou was not prosecuted for expressing his opinion, but for disobeying a lawful order from a police officer.

05.02.2016 Paval Vinahradau Fined For Rally In Front Of Tax Inspection Office

The activist brought a coffin with the writing “May We See Your Taxes In a Coffin!” to the porch of the Tax Inspection.

05.02.2016 Court in Vaŭkavysk removes police supervision of Mikalai Autukhovich

On February 4, the Vaŭkavysk District Court ruled to cancel the preventive supervision of former political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich, after 22 months of restrictive measures.

05.02.2016 Belarus human rights organisations urge EU to maintain firm position towards Belarus. A Press Release by FIDH

On February 2nd and 3rd, Ales Bialiatski, President of Human Rights Centre Viasna and FIDH Vice-President and Zhanna Litvina, board member of the Belarus Association of Journalists, came to Brussels to present to the EU the concerted position reached by several Belarus human rights organisations on the development of EU-Belarus relations.

04.02.2016 Netherlands

During a considerable period of its existence the Netherlands were under the influence of Spain, where the death penalty was widely used. However, in the 16th century the Dutch began the fight for independence, and in 1549 launched the creation of the Dutch Republic, which lasted almost until the occupation of the territory by the French troops in 1895.

04.02.2016 International cooperation

The efforts of Belarusian human rights defenders for the abolition of the death penalty are supported by the governments of the European countries, foreign and international human rights organizations. In the present conditions our international partners often play the role of mediators in making claims to the Belarusian authorities.