The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

05.05.2014 Human rights defenders informed the United Nations about arbitrary detentions ahead of Ice Hockey World Championship - 2014

Human Rights Center “Viasna” informed UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the preventive detentions of Belarusian citizens ahead of Ice Hockey World Championship - 2014.

05.05.2014 Belarus scores own goal as activists held ahead of Ice Hockey World Championship

The Belarusian government has scored an own goal by cracking down on civil society in a bid to silence dissenters ahead of the Ice Hockey World Championship, which opens on 9 May in Minsk, said Amnesty International as it starts a new campaign calling for the immediate release of peaceful activists.

02.05.2014 Monitoring report on the results of observation of the mass event “Chernobyl Way march - 2014”

Certain aspects of the results of observation, analysis of compliance with international standards of mass action in the sphere of freedom of peaceful assembly, as well as recommendations for governmental officials and organizers of the mass event are noted in the following report.

02.05.2014 Condition of 9 political prisoners in Belarus is critical (information as of April 2014)

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Human Rights Centre “Viasna” presented analytical report on the condition of political prisoners and limitation of freedom for civil activists in Belarus. The report provides the information as of 30 April 2014 in Russian language.

02.05.2014 Jauhen Vaskovich was transferred to a single confinement cell

Political prisoner Jauhen Vaskovich was transferred to a single confinement cell

02.05.2014 Andrei Paluda: retention of the death penalty in Belarus seriously affects its status

Coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against Death Penalty in Belarus” Andrei Paluda and Liubou Kavaliova participated in the events devoted to the 5th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership programme that took place in late April in Prague.

30.04.2014 1000 days in prison: Free Ales now!

Activists of Amnesty International and Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights hold a picket in Zurich/Switzerland to remember that Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski is in prison since 1000 days on 29th April 2014.

29.04.2014 Ales Bialiatski: 1000 Days in Prison

Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Center Viasna and vice president of FIDH, has spent 1000 days behind bars.

28.04.2014 Minsk court convicts Chernobyl Way protesters

The court of Minsk’s Savetski district considered today administrative charges brought against six participants of yesterday’s Chernobyl Way march, who were detained immediately after the meeting. In addition, the court heard the case of former political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich, who was detained ahead of the demonstration.

28.04.2014 Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office finds no violations of detention conditions

Responses received by a member of the United Civil Party, Anton Kastsou, from a number of government bodies say that an inspection failed to establish whether he was held in the same cell with the citizens previously convicted of criminal offences.

28.04.2014 Khotsimsk Prosecutor’s Office: Detention of candidate legal

Last week, civil society activist Valery Karankevich received a response from the Khotsimsk District Prosecutor’s Office to his complaint against local police department officials who did not allow him to attend the counting of votes at polling station No. 3.

27.04.2014 Fair World Brest leader complains against local election commissions

Head of the Brest city office of the Belarusian Left Party “Fair World” Liudmila Dzenisenka, who was running for the City Council in local constituency No. 13, has been yet unable to receive the list of voters who cast their ballots at their residence in the recent local elections.

27.04.2014 Biaroza human rights defenders summoned to police

Human rights defenders Siarhei Rusetski and Tamara Shchapiotkina received on April 25 a summons to the police. Police Major Dzmitry Mastyka served a summons, which had no name or address. The activists were not told about the nature of the case where they are expected to appear as witnesses.

27.04.2014 Libereco offers to sign petition to amnesty political prisoners in Belarus

On the eve of the Ice Hockey World Championship, the human rights organization “Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights” calls on President Lukashenka to release all political prisoners and to host the Championship without human rights violations.

26.04.2014 Former political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich detained in Minsk

Former political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich has been detained in Minsk, according to by his mother Tatsiana Frantskevich, who wrote on her Facebook account: “Just can’t figure out why. At eight o’clock after work. Now he’s also in Akrestsin Street”.