The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

02.06.2015 Mikalai Autukhovich is appealing alleged arrear in payment of insurance fees during his imprisonment

Former political prisoner and entrepreneur Mikalai Autukhovich continues to challenge the illegal actions of the Department of Social Protection Fund (SPF) of Vaŭkavysk district, which requires him to pay the debt on compulsory insurance payments to the budget provided for entrepreneurs.

02.06.2015 Baranavičy activists challenge picket ban at Supreme Court

Human rights activist Siarhei Housha has filed a supervisory appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision of the Baranavičy City and District Court of january 27, 2015 and the determination of the Judicial Board on Civil Cases of the Brest Regional Court of March 19, 2015.

02.06.2015 Will Supreme Court help make open "open trials " in penal colonies?

Lawyer Pavel Sapelka asks the Supreme Court of Belarus to clarify the procedure of citizens' access to offsite hearings held in penitentiary institutions.

02.06.2015 Biaroza officials again regard solidarity with political prisoners as "inciting ethnic hatred"

Biaroza human rights defenders and social activists have been again denied the opportunity to publicly voice their disagreement with the tax on the unemployed and the presence of political prisoners in the country.

02.06.2015 Brest: freelance journalists get attacked and taken to police station

The incident took place in the evening of 1 June, when local journalists Ales Liauchuk and Milana Kharytonava were preparing a video report about the dangers of smoking in one of the shopping centers of Brest.

02.06.2015 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: May 2015

In May, there were no positive developments in the human rights situation in Belarus.

01.06.2015 Police draw up two more violation reports on Kanstantsin Zhukouski

Drawing up reports under Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal manufacturing media products) against Homieĺ freelance journalist Kanstantsin Zhukouski has been put on the conveyor by the local police. Over the past two months, they had compiled five such reports on the journalist in connection with implementation of his professional duties.

01.06.2015 Trial of Mikhail Zhamchuzhny starts behind closed doors

June 1 at 10 a.m., the trial of the organizers of the organization “Platform Innovation” Mikhail Zhamchuzhny has started behind the closed doors. The fact that the trial will be closed was known long ago, though there was almost no official information about the case, as Mr. Zhamchuzhny wrote about it in his letters to like-minded persons and human rights activists.

01.06.2015 Baranavičy: filed a cassation appeal on the case to ban the May Day rally

Ryhor Hryk, an activist of the Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry (TUREI), has filed an appeal to the Brest Regional Court against the verdict of the Baranavičy City and District Court which on May 21 had dismissed his complaints against the ban on the May Day rally, issued by the city authorities.

01.06.2015 Independent journalist Volha Chaichyts to be tried

Journalist Volha Chaichyts to be tried in the court of the Dziarzhynsk district of the Minsk region on June 1.

01.06.2015 Situation of political prisoners in Belarus worsening

FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus, Human Rights Center "Viasna," are deeply concerned about the deteriorating detention conditions of political prisoners Yury Rubtsou, Makalai Statkevich, Mikalai Dziadok and Ihar Alynevich.

29.05.2015 Brest Regional Court dismisses appeal by freelance journalist

The Brest Regional Court has considered a cassation appeal by freelance journalist Tamara Shchapiotkina, who asked to cancel the decision of the court of Brest’s Lieninski district and send the case for retrial.

29.05.2015 Independent journalist detained on border with Ukraine

Freelance journalist and activist from Homel Kanstantsin Zhukouski has been detained on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border for the third time in the past two months.

29.05.2015 Human rights activist urges border officials to return seized laptop

Human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka has complained to the Chairman of the Customs Committee Yury Sianko urging him to return the laptop seized from the activist at the border checkpoint Kamenny Loh on May 24. The human rights activist also complains about the systematic violation of his rights by the Ašmiany customs.

29.05.2015 Independent publisher to stand another trial in Kryčaŭ

Uladzimir Kudrautsau, publisher of the independent newspaper Volny Horad, received a summons from the court of Kryčaŭ district, saying that the examination of his administrative case will be held on June 3.