The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

22.11.2013 Administrative commission punishes activist of “swine revolt”

The administrative commission of Biaroza district executive committee, which on November 20 re-examined the case of Aliaksandr Alikhver, punished him with a fine of 1.3 million rubles for keeping pigs within a 5-km zone of 2 small government pig farms hit by the recent epidemic.

22.11.2013 Baranavichy trade union activist to pay insurance fee in lawsuit by Interior Ministry

The court of the district and the city of Baranavichy heard yesterday the case of local trade union activist Aliaksandr Vaitseshyk and ruled, as a result, to recover insurance payments in favor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the amount of 175 thousand rubles. The case was considered by Judge Vera Utlik. The lawsuit against the activist was filed by the Baranavichy interdistrict Prosecutor’s Office. The claim stemmed from a previous conviction of the activist over allegedly beating a police officer.

21.11.2013 A. Bastunets: ‘There are more cons than pros in the on-line media registration’

Dzmitry Shadko, Deputy Minister of Information announced elaboration of amendments to the Belarus’ Mass Media Law with the purpose of ‘effective response to negative social phenomena’ that may lead to obligatory registration of on-line publications as media outlets on November 19, 2013.

21.11.2013 Criminal case opened against activist from Rahachou

Activist Dzianis Dashkevich's home was searched.

21.11.2013 Activist complains about detention conditions

Leanid Smouzh, complains about the conditions of detention at the Center for isolation of offenders in Minsk’s Akrestsin Street, where he was held after a demonstration staged on November 10.

20.11.2013 Mikalay Authukhovich was not allowed to meet with his mother

Mikalay Autukhovich’s meeting with relatives was scheduled for November.

20.11.2013 Father Lazar’s family is not able to pay for a lawyer

Belarusian Christian Democracy is organizing a marathon of solidarity with the priest Uladzislaw Lazar.

20.11.2013 Maksim Viniarski: “If we, not the police, gave false testimony in court, let them punish us”

Opposition activists Maksim Viniarski and Leanid Kulakou, who spoke as witnesses at the November 4 administrative trial of a Homel resident Yury Rubtsou, sent a petition to the court, asking to either punish policemen for perjury or the activists themselves.

20.11.2013 Biaroza court sides with executive committee in ban on picket against the death penalty

On November 19, Biaroza District Court considered a complaint filed by human rights defenders Tamara Shchapiotkina and Siarhei Rusetsk, as well as civil society activist Tatsiana Tarasevich, to challenge a ban imposed by the district executive committee on a picket against the death penalty scheduled for October 10.

19.11.2013 Sweden’s Östgruppen launches project to campaign for freedom of assembly in Belarus

The Swedish human rights organization «Östgruppen» launched a web project entitled “To Dare - To Think – To Say” (“Våga, tycka, tala”). This is an interactive map, which shows the situation of freedom of assembly in Belarus, as well as the methods by which that right is violated, www.svaboda.org reports.

19.11.2013 Angela Merkel demands release of Belarusian political prisoners

Political prisoners in Belarus should obtain the possibility to speak and act freely. Angela Merkel spoke of that to Bundestag members, Radio Svaboda reports.

19.11.2013 Ukraine’s experience: Abolition of the death penalty fails to cause boost in homicides

In the late 1990’s Ukraine saw heavy debate on whether to abolish the death penalty. One of the arguments of supporters of retaining the death penalty was the claim that it will cause a significant increase in the number of murders, saying that when criminals are not afraid of punishment, it is much easier to kill people.

19.11.2013 Censorship of prisoners’ correspondence: how to eliminate unreasonable restrictions?

Censorship of mail correspondence of prisoners is one of the most extensive problems reported to human rights defenders from Belarusian prisons. Analyzing the practice, lawyer Pavel Sapelka compares it with the situation in prisons abroad, as well as considers the rules of national law in this area in the context of international human rights standards.

19.11.2013 Human rights defender Andrei Bandarenka released

Andrei Bandarenka, leader of the of the human rights institution “Platform Innovation”, was released today after serving five days of arrest.

18.11.2013 Vasil Parfiankou to stand another trial on November 28

The Court of Minsk’s Pershamaiski district will hear on November 28 the charges brought against former political prisoners Vasil Parfiankou. He is accused of violating the rules of serving preventive police supervision (Article 421 of the Criminal Code).