News on the topic: human rights defenders
27.08.2013 Minsk City Court rejects appeal by Tatsiana Reviaka
The Minsk City Court considered today an appeal by human rights defender Tatsiana Reviaka lodged to contest a three million rubles fine handed down on her on August 6. As a result, Judge Aliaksei Bychko upheld the decision of Savetski District Court, dismissing the complaint.
27.08.2013 Ales Bialiatski shortlisted for Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize
The imprisoned leader of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski has been shortlisted for the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, along with two more nominees: the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and the Rights Defense Network (China).
22.08.2013 Appeals by Viasna human rights defenders to be considered on 27 and 31 August
Appeals of human rights defenders representing the Human Rights Center "Viasna", Tatsiana Reviaka and Uladzimir Labkovich, against the verdict of the Savetski District Court of Minsk are expected to be considered by the Minsk City Court on 27 August and 31 August, respectively. The human rights defenders are appealing a fine of 3 million rubles each for alleged violating the Code on Administrative Offences (Art. 23.34 – “illegal picketing”).
22.08.2013 Supreme Court considers Homel courts incompetent
For nearly a year, from August 2012 to the present day, Mazyr human rights defender Uladzimir Tseliapun was seeking justice in the courts of Homel region to appeal a decision of Mazyr District Executive Committee "On Mass Events", arguing that the decision is not consistent with the law and violates the rights of citizens, the implementation of which are guaranteed by the Constitution.
21.08.2013 Pavel Sapelka on preventive supervision: "It is not the crime that is punished, but the reluctance to demonstrate loyalty to police requirements"
For jurisprudence, of prime significance is the challenge of providing post-penitentiary adaptation of convicts and preventing repeated crimes. In the absence of a consistent government policy for the re-socialization and social integration of those who are released after serving their sentence in prison, they face social and psychological degradation, resulting in possible increase in repeated crimes.
20.08.2013 Salihorsk human rights defender keeps opposing illegal travel ban threats
In a dispute between the local representative of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Leanid Markhotka, and the Communal Unitary Enterprise "Cash Settlements Centre of the City of Salihorsk" the Prosecutor's Office of Minsk region sided with the state-owned enterprise.
20.08.2013 Mahiliou human rights defenders appeal ban on picket in support of Ales Bialiatski
An appeal was lodged with the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou by Barys Bukhel and Aliaksei Kolchyn. The human rights defenders want the Court to cancel Decision of Mahiliou city executive committee of 19 December, 2007 "On Mass Events in the City of Mahiliou," as well as No. 15-12 of June 16, 2010 "On Amendments to Decision No. 25-19 of 19 December, 2007".
15.08.2013 Complaint by Mazyr human rights defender to be considered at Homel Regional Court
Human rights defender Uladzimir Tseliapun appeals a ban on a series of pickets in solidarity with the imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski.
13.08.2013 Authorities are afraid to admit human rights defenders to the Salihorsk detention center
According to the human rights defender Leanid Markhotka, the Head of the Salihorsk District Police Department Aliaksandr Astreika did not allow representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee to visit the local detention isolator!
13.08.2013 “Gray Book” of Vitsebsk human rights defenders
These days the “Gray Book” of Vitsebsk human rights defenders, featuring a chronicle of human rights violations in the Vitsebsk from July 2012 to June 2013, has been published. The volume of the book is 120 pages.
13.08.2013 Justice Bureau admits that Vitsebsk judges overstep the law
The appeals of the human rights defender Pavel Levinau to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus were considered at a working meeting of the main justice bureau of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee.
12.08.2013 Uladzimir Labkovich and Tatsiana Reviaka appeal their fines at the Minsk City Court
The human rights activists appealed against the verdict of the Savetski District Court, according to which they were found guilty of violating Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Violations and fined 3 million rubles each.
09.08.2013 Civil society activists had a meeting with Belarusian MPs
On 7 August the head of the Center for Legal Transformation Alena Tankachova and the lawyer of the Assembly of Democratic NGOs of Belarus Yuru Chavusau met with representatives of the Regular Commission of the Chamber of Representatives for Human Rights, National Relations and Mass Media. The Parliament was represented by MP Valery Kokash and a representative of the secretariat of the Chamber of Representatives.
07.08.2013 First food parcel for in 8 months passed to imprisoned head of “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski
Today, on 7 August, the first food parcel for this year has been passed to the political prisoner Ales Bialiatski. Earlier, on 6 May 2013, his wife Natallia Pinchuk paid a visit to the penal colony No.2 where he has been kept since February 2012, to pass him a food parcel. However, the prison officials reported that in March 2013 Ales Bialiatski was denied the right to receive food parcels for another 6 months as a result of the imposed penalties.
07.08.2013 Actions of solidarity held in many countries of the world
Thousands of people around the world have joined the International Day of Solidarity with Belarusian civil society. Human rights defenders, civil society activists, politicians, artists and ordinary citizens from 15 countries took part in solidarity actions on 4 August.
