News on the topic: freedom of association
21.01.2009 Youth activist forced to join army
Ihar Salavei, an activist of the For Freedom movement, is going to join the army in spite of a heart problem, says www.milinkevich.org. The activist says his political activities are well-known to the military registration and enlistment office. This seems to be another case when a young activist is forced to join the army despite objective reasons for draft deferment or ineligibility for military service.
19.01.2009 Implementation of the right to freedom of association in Belarus: 2008 analysis
In 2008 the situation in the field of the freedom of association in Belarus was extremely ambiguous. With the government expressing unfavourable attitude towards the activity of independent NGOs and opposition political parties, there emerged a number of new tendencies, dealing with the Belarus-EU and Belarus-US dialogue. The inner political situation was aggravated by a factor of foreign-policy, by making it even more multidimensional; the freedom of association is still controlled by the Belarusian government. The circumstances admit of no haste in taking evaluating the freedom of association and the situation with NGOs in 2008: one would not speak of any cardinal change, neither would one state the absence improvement in the field.
19.01.2009 Polish minority protest action in Hrodna
On 17 January some 200 members of the unregistered Union of Poles in Belarus, headed by Andzelika Borys, held an unsanctioned action of protest in front of the building of the Union of Poles in Hrodna. The demonstrators expressed their discontent with the town authorities’ decision to confiscate the building constructed at the expense of the Polish government.
17.01.2009 Pro-dem NGOs Assembly to be held in Minsk
The assembly is due to be held on the premises of the Minsk-based International Education Centre (IBB) on 6-7 March 2009. On the same day the members of the organizing committee (Siarhei Matskevich, Barys Zvozskau and Alena Valynets) also had a meeting with the first secretary of the German embassy to Belarus Dr. MatthiasBiermann.
15.01.2009 Hrodna University brings to account politically active student
Aleh Pronski, For Freedom activist and coordinator of the For European Masty Region campaign, has been questioned by Aliaksandr Duduk, vice-rector of Hrodna State Agriculture University, concerning his public activity. During the conversation that lasted for about ten minutes, Aleh was shown photos taken during the Kalinouski brothers annual memorial festival in Svislach and other materials on the event from the dzida.org web-site.
12.01.2009 ‘European Belarus’ activists get arrested for handing out porridge
On 11 January activists of the civil campaign European Belarus unfurled a poster Crisis came to country! Handout! and brought a 25-liter pot of buckwheat porridge near Kamarouski Market of Minsk.
08.01.2009 New Year’s Eve: police arrest activist of ‘European Belarus’
Marta Maiseyenka, activist of the civil campaign European Belarus, was to have trial in the Tsentralny district court of Minsk on 31 December. The girl was detained in the night of 30 December and was kept at the police station till morning, RFE/RL reports.
18.12.2008 Ministry of Internal Affairs responded to human rights activists’ address to Lukashenka
In his letter to the activists of Brest region, deputy head of the main department for law and order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs claims, everything was fine with the rights of women prisoners in Belarus.
17.12.2008 Movement for Freedom registered
Today the Ministry of Justice handed over an official certificate of registration to the leaders of the “Movement for Freedom”.
12.12.2008 Pressurization of member of ‘For Freedom’ movement
Officers of law-enforcement agencies pressurize Siarhei Trafimchyk, a member of the unregistered movement For Freedom from the settlement of Biarozauka. On 12 December people in civvies paid a visit to his apartment. They tried to find out the reasons for his critical attitude to the authorities.
12.12.2008 Activist of ‘For Freedom’ movement Ihar Salavei gets fined
On 11 December a trial over the member of the For Freedom movement Ihar Salavei took place in Pinsk. The activist was found guilty under article 25.1 part 3 of the Administrative Code (failure to appear at the military enlistment office on a writ). Mr. Salavei could not come to the military enlistment office as he was in Poland at the specified time. Nevertheless, the court ruled that he was to be fined 35 000 rubles (about $16, minimal sum of fine).
08.12.2008 Fireworks in honor of Alexander Barazenka
On 7 December, the last day before the trial, a rally of solidarity with the imprisoned activist of European Belarus campaign Ales Barazenka was held in front of the remand prison in Valadarski Street.
05.12.2008 Minsk: actions in support of Alexander Barazenka continue
Everyday at 7 p.m. young people gather near the doors of the remand prison in Valadarski street to express their solidarity with the political prisoner.
03.12.2008 Democratic activist Ihar Salavei is… wanted
It has been found out today that activist of the For Freedom movement Ihar Salavei is put on the wanted list. He learnt it when he came to the Pinsk military enlistment office.
02.12.2008 Minsk: action of solidarity with political prisoner Barazenka
An action of solidarity with political prisoner Alexander Barazenka was traditionally held near the prison in Valadarski Street of Minsk yesterday.
