News on the topic: Viasna
08.11.2011 State media denigrate Bialiatski and “Viasna” all over Belarus
The state-owned newspapers “Mahiliouskiya Vedamastsi”, “Prydniaprouskaya Niva”, "Vitebski Rabochy" and "Narodnaye Slova" have published an article "How “human rights defender” "Bialiatski made a nice life for himself”. Most probably, soon this publication will appear in other state-own newspapers.
07.11.2011 A brief review of the second day of the hearing of the case of Ales Bialiatski
On November 3, 2011 in Minsk the trial of Ales Bialiatski, the head of the human rights center Viasna and vice-president of the International Federation of Human Rights continued. The International observation mission of the Committee on international control over the situation with Human Rights in Belarus followed the progress of the trial. A survey of the first day can be found here. Today's hearing was largely devoted to the examination of witnesses.
04.11.2011 Trial of Ales Bialiatski: day 3
4 November is the third day of the court hearings on the criminal case against Ales Bialiatski, Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
03.11.2011 Trial of Ales Bialiatski, day 2 (updated)
The trial of the Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski continues at the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk.
02.11.2011 Trial of Ales Bialiatski (updated)
Extraordinary precautions have been used since 9 a.m. near the building of the Maskouski District Court of Minsk. Special police forces and several cars of the road police arrived. Private parking spaces were fenced with protective police tapes. The people who wanted to attend the trial started gathering at the entrance. At 9.30 a.m. Ales Bialiatski was guarded to the court.
20.10.2011 Viasna awarded Danish Freedom Prize
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has been awarded the 2011 Politiken Freedom Prize, an international human rights award sponsored by the Denmark-based Politiken radical-social, liberal newspaper.
13.10.2011 Ales Bialiatski: “The time threw us a challenge. We accepted it"
This is an interview with Aliaksandr Bialiatski prepared for publication for the 15th anniversary of Human Rights Center "Viasna", which is celebrated this year. In this interview, Bialiatski tells not only about the history of the organization, the purpose of its work and his colleagues, but also about his vision of human rights protection in democratic reforms, which will doubtlessly take place in Belarus in the near future.
05.10.2011 FIDH and Viasna: Inhumane treatment and threats to the lives of Belarusian political prisoners must stop!
Paris-Minsk, 4 October 2011 – International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisation in Belarus, Human Rights Center “Viasna”, strongly condemn the inhuman treatment of political prisoners in Belarusian prisons. Reliable sources indicate that psychological and physical pressure continues on political prisoners still in detention in Belarus, including death threats, unjustified transfers and appalling health care provision.
04.10.2011 Zmitser Dashkevich writes about his time in prison
The political prisoner needs his knee to be operated. He has written about that in his letter to his godmother Natallia Yasevich. In his another letter from prison the “Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich tells about the danger he faces. He calls the last 9 months behind the bars the most difficult in his life. For the first time the political prisoner mentions he want to demand a knee surgery.
04.10.2011 People are prohibited to read our website at work
Participants of the 6th yearly conference “Business Internet”, held on 3-4 October in Minsk, were shown the so-called “black-list” of national web-resources, the access to which is blocked in all state institutions of the country.
28.09.2011 Viasna donates laptops to wheelchair users
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has donated three laptops to Minsk office of the Republican Association of Wheelchair Users.
26.09.2011 Stefanovich set to return to Minsk on 29 September
Viasna lawyer Valiantsin Stefanovich is going to return to Belarus on 29 September, after over a month spent abroad, following the arrest of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski, Radio Racyja reports.
26.09.2011 Viasna’s PCs donated to boarding school
On 23 September, the personal computers seized by the KGB from the Human Rights Center “Viasna” were donated to a boarding school in Orsha.
25.09.2011 Statement of the FIDH President, Souhayr Belhassen, on the occasion of Ales Bialiatski birthday
September 25 – the birthday of Ales Bialiatski, the Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the head of the Human Rights center Viasna, a member organization of FIDH in Belarus, who has been held in detention in Minsk since August 4, 2011.
15.09.2011 Human Rights Center Viasna: 15 years of persecution
Since its inception in 1996, the human rights organization “Viasna 96”, and then the Human Rights Center Viasna was consequently and ruthlessly persecuted by the Belarusian authorities. All members of this organization were subject to detention, beatings, raids, arrests and fines. A complete list of the facts of persecution would take more than a dozen pages. However, most often the lightning of the state anger fell on the highest point of the organization, its head Ales Bialiatski.
