News on the topic: human rights defenders
30.04.2012 Russian President’s Human Rights Council urges Medvedev to aid Ales Bialiatski’s release
“We ask you to use all of your power to foster the release of our colleague Ales Bialiatski held in detention in Belarus,” says an appeal passed to Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev in his meeting with the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights on 28 April.
26.04.2012 “Viasna” marks 16 years of activity
It was 16 years ago, when after a wave of brutal arrests during the traditional Chernobyl Way march a group of activists started collecting and disseminating information on the detainees, trying to give them financial support. This is how “Viasna-96” was founded, whose priority was providing assistance to the victims of political repressions and sharing information on these repressions.
18.04.2012 Russian human rights defender Gefter: It is absolutely intolerable to prevent citizens from going abroad without good grounds
“People cannot be restricted in their right to travel abroad, expect for the cases when the decision has been enforced by a court,’ says Valentin Gefter, Director of the Institute of Human Rights, Member of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights, in his interview with the web-site of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.
16.04.2012 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Human rights defenders view pressure to force prisoners of conscience to sign petitions for pardon as torture
“We view their release as the first step by the Belarusian authorities taken as a result of the European Union’s reaction to the situation in the country,” says deputy chair of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich in his comments on the recent release of former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau and his election aide Dzmitry Bandarenka.
12.04.2012 Stefanovich's complaints are still forwarded to Ministry of Defense
On 11 March the vice-head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich was prevented from leaving for Lithuania. He was stopped by the Belarusian border guards at the crossing point "Kamenny Loh" and stated that he was prohibited to leave Belarus.
03.04.2012 International human rights organization “Front Line” protests against unlawful punishment of human rights defender Valery Shchukin
On 30 March 2012, human rights defender Mr Valery Shchukin was condemned to an administrative fine in relation to a protest held on the previous day against the trial of political activists which was about to take place behind closed doors in Orsha.
02.04.2012 General procuracy evades from reacting to appeal of blacklisted human rights activist
The General Procuracy forwarded the appeal of the deputy head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich concerning unlawful foreign travel restrictions to the Ministry of Defense. The human rights defender was informed about it by a letter on 28 March.
30.03.2012 Valery Shchukin fined BYR 1,190,000
Orsha court has found human rights defender Valery Shchukin guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and fined him BYR 1,190,000.
30.03.2012 Human rights defender Shchukin detained in Orsha
Human rights defender Valery Shchukin was detained by Orsha police in the court building where three key opposition leaders stood trial yesterday.
22.03.2012 Valiantsin Stefanovich appeals foreign travel ban in court
Valiantsin Stefanovich has lodged a complaint with Minsk Tsentralny District Court against the travel ban imposed by the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.
21.03.2012 Valiantsin Stefanovich banned from leaving Belarus for “draft evasion”
Valiantsin Stefanovich, deputy chair of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, was put on the notorious black list of foreign travel restrictions for alleged draft evasion, says a representative of a department on migration and citizenship in Minsk.
19.03.2012 Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders: Human rights defenders banned from travelling abroad!
Paris-Geneva, March 16, 2012. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), deplores the series of travel bans imposed on a number of human rights defenders by the Belarusian authorities, amid the worsening of EU-Belarus diplomatic relations.
16.03.2012 Front Line Defenders urges Belarus authorities to lift travel ban on human rights defenders
Over the past number of days, in a flagrant denial of their right to freedom of movement, several Belarusian human rights defenders have been stopped by border guards while they were leaving Belarus, along with numerous political activists and journalists.
16.03.2012 UN Human Rights Committee registers complaint by Barysau picketer
Barysau human rights defender Aleh Matskevich has received a reply from the UN Human Rights Committee saying that his complaint against several picket bans imposed by the town authorities has been registered by the Committee.
16.03.2012 Human rights mission calls on Belarusian authorities to provide explanations regarding foreign travel ban list
The Observation Mission of the International Committee for Monitoring the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has called on the Belarusian authorities to provide explanations regarding their list of dissidents banned from foreign trips.
