19.09.2017 Belarus in focus at OSCE event on the death penalty
Amnesty International and FIDH continue to raise the issue of the death penalty at international fora, as another thematic event has been held within the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. The side event involved human rights activists from Belarus, one of the two OSCE countries that still execute death convicts.
18.09.2017 Threats and attacks against human rights defenders on the rise, says OSCE/ODIHR report
Threats and attacks against human rights defenders in the OSCE area have continued to increase in severity and frequency over the last three years, according to a report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released on 15 September 2017.
14.09.2017 UN Special Rapporteur updated on increasing harassment of lawyers in Belarus
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" has updated Ms. Mónica Pinto, Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the independence of judges and lawyers, on the latest developments related to the pressure on lawyers in Belarus.
13.09.2017 Stop government interference in activities of the Bar
Joint statement of Belarusian human rights organizations
12.09.2017 Counsel in White Legion case likely to lose license
The Ministry of Justice has questioned the qualification of lawyer Hanna Bakhtsina, legal representative of Miraslau Lazouski, key defendant in the ‘White Legion case’. As a result, the counsel is likely to lose her license.
12.09.2017 Ales Bialiatski: West tends to downplay repression in Belarus
The Belarusian House Foundation in Warsaw hosted yesterday, September 11, a side event as part of the OSCE ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017. The event entitled “Human Rights in Belarus – From the Case of Patriots to the Case of Labor Unions” involved several Belarusian human rights defenders and focused on this year’s wave of repression in Belarus, including the ‘White Legion case’ and the criminal charges against trade union leaders.
11.09.2017 Report on monitoring of mass event "Warning Action and Meeting on the Belarusian Military Glory Day". Minsk, 8 September 2017
On September 8, 2017 in Minsk the meeting was dedicated to the Belarusian Military Glory Day, organized by Belarusian National Congress.
08.09.2017 Viasna urges international lawyers’ community to support Belarusian counsels
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" is calling for solidarity with Belarusian lawyers, who are again targeted by the repressive government.
07.09.2017 Stefanovich: “The emergence of principles for human rights defenders will boost proficiency in the community”
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" has joined the Principles of Human Rights Work in Belarus. According to the organization’s chairman Ales Bialiatski, the decision was taken at a meeting of Viasna’s Council on September 4.
07.09.2017 Principles of Human Rights Work in Belarus
This document presents a set of professional and ethical principles determining the requirements for human rights defenders and their professional activities. It is based on the ethical criteria and traditions of human rights work in Belarus, as well as on the international standards and rules for human rights activities.
06.09.2017 Viasna asks UN Special Rapporteur to intervene in situation of pressure on lawyers in Belarus
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has written to Ms. Mónica Pinto, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, to express concern over the extraordinary attestation of a number of Belarusian lawyers scheduled for September 12, which may result in the revocation of their licenses.
04.09.2017 Chechen refugee detained in Minsk, faces death back home
Luiza Dudurkaeva, a 21-year-old refugee from Chechnya, has been detained today at the Minsk airport and given into hands of her family, according to Valentina Likhoshva of the Murmansk-based Maximum initiative and the girl’s lawyer, who accompanied her to Norway, where she was given asylum.
04.09.2017 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: August 2017
In August, the authorities continued the policy of repression against civil society activists and the political opposition.
30.08.2017 Human rights activists alarmed over new wave of harassment against lawyers
The Ministry of Justice has reportedly ordered an extraordinary certification of a number of lawyers, which may void the licenses of some of them, including those involved in politically motivated cases.
29.08.2017 Director of news agency detained in Azerbaijan
Mehman Aliyev, the director of Azerbaijani independent news agency Turan has been given 3 months pretrial detention and is facing charges for illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, and abuse of power. HRHF calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
