Homel pro-democratic activists Uladzimir Katsora and Uladzimir Niapomniashchykh have addressed the Constitutional Court of Belarus with a demand to provide legal assessment to the provisions of Article 8.4 of the Code for Administrative Procedures in their compliance with Article 25 of the Constitution and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Three United Nations independent experts warned that the new legislative amendments recently adopted by the National Assembly of Belarus may severely and arbitrarily restrict the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression, and breach international law.
On 15 October the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) produced a special report "On the conformity with the universal human rights standards of Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code on the rights of non-registered associations of the Republic of Belarus”. The uniqueness of this instrument lies in the fact that it was the first time when this authoritative legal commission considered only one article in a country’s law.
Recently human rights defender Pavel Levinau has received an answer from the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee concerning his address to the head of the REC, Aliaksandr Kosinets. Levinau is informed that the application was reitstered and would be considered by the personnel department of the executive committee within the legally established terms. The human rights defender considers it as mockery.
Twenty-six civil society groups have petitioned the Constitutional Court over controversial draft laws that would extend the powers of the Committee for State Security (KGB), introduce additional restrictions on street protests and tighten penalties for political and civil society groups receiving foreign aid.
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