STATEMENT of Human Rights Center Viasna concerning terror campaign towards opposition-minded people
The Human Rights
Center Viasna
STATEMENT
2 January 2011
The Human Rights Center Viasna expresses its strong protest against the beginning of the
terror campaign in Belarus
towards dissidents and political opponents of the government.
Starting from 19 December 2010, the country was flooded
with political repression. On 29-30 December 22 people who are kept in the KGB
jail were formally charged under parts 1 and 2 of Article 293 of the Criminal
Code of Belarus (organization and participation in mass riot), including five
presidential candidates: Andrei Sannikau, Mikalai Statkevich, Aliaksei
Mikhalevich, Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Vital Rymashevsky. In addition to the presidential
candidates, the charges were brought against the leaders of their campaign teams,
journalists and other prominent opposition activists. The restraint in the form
of two-month detention was chosen for all of them.
At least nine more people are also in the status of
suspects in the criminal case on the riot, including two presidential
candidates – Ryhor Kastusiou and Dzmitry Us, as well as two citizens of the Russian Federation.
The Chairperson of the youth organization Young
Front Dzmitry Dashkevich and its activist Eduard Lobau
are still kept in the pre-trial prison in Minsk
on suspicion of malignant hooliganism.
More than 200 people are still kept in prison, serving
administrative arrests for participation in the protest rally in Minsk on 19 December and
the subsequent actions of solidarity with political prisoners. More than 700
people have been arrested or fined for the ten last days.
Human Rights Center
Viasna is particularly concerned with
information about the use of torture, psychological
pressurization of detainees and the absence of medical care.
Starting from 20 December there began mass searches and
interrogations of activists of opposition political parties, civic
organizations and independent media. Hundreds of opposition activists,
representatives of independent civil society and journalists have been
threatened and harassed by the KGB and the Interior Ministry.
Premises of human rights organizations were searched in Minsk and in the regions. The authorities are
trying to discredit the activities of human rights defenders in the eyes of the
society.
The lawyers who defend the accused in the criminal case concerning the mass
riot are pressurized as well.
The Human Rights Center Viasna
expresses its strong protest over the outbreak of the Belarusian authorities of
the mass political repression in the country and declares:
- the election of the President of the Republic of Belarus
was not a free and democratic. The election results announced by the CEC in no
way reflect the real will of citizens of Belarus.
- the protest rally against the undemocratic and non-free
election was peaceful. The people who gathered in central Minsk, had peaceful purposes, and sought to
peacefully express their opinions and protest.
- The incident with the smashing of windows in the
building of the House of Government was not prevented by law enforcement agencies.
The demonstrative non-action of the Interior Ministry, a large number of whose
workers was present in the Nezalezhnastsi
Square, points to an organized provocation by the
authorities.
- The actions of the police to disperse demonstrators were
clearly disproportionate to the character of the action. The use of physical
force and police gear led to a large number of wounded members of peaceful protest.
- The attack of security services in civilian clothes on the
presidential candidate Uladzimir Niekliayeu and his supporters was clearly
provocative and lawless.
- The beating and arrest of virtually all presidential
candidates, Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s opponents, is nothing but political
violence.
- The initiation of a criminal case under part 1 and 2 of
Article 293 of the Criminal Code (mass riot) is used only for a long-term
isolation of the leaders of the opposition pro-democracy movement, as well as
for pressurizing and intimidating the country’s civil society, independent
media and journalists, as well as all dissidents in the country.
The Human Rights Center Viasna demands the immediate release of all prisoners and cessation
of repressions against opposition leaders and activists, civil society and
independent media.
The Human Rights Center Viasna expresses solidarity with all those arrested for their
views, their family members and encourages members of the Belarusian public and
the international community to support the repressed people.
The Human Rights Centre Viasna urges the governments of the European Union, the United States and international organizations to
condemn the repression and massive human rights violations in Belarus and to take
all possible measures for their immediate cessation.
