11.03.2010 Polish House in Ivianets was confiscated from Union of Poles in Belarus

The Polish House in Ivianets will stay the property of the pro-regime Union of Poles in Belarus. The appropriate ruling of the Valozhyn district court has been upheld by the Minsk oblast court.

11.03.2010 Fines for picket near Lithuanian Embassy

On 10 March Maksim Viniarski, Palina Kuryianovich and Palina Dziiakava were detained by police for an unauthorized picket near the Lithuanian Embassy where they unfurled a streamer ‘No to cooperation with Belarusian dictatorship’ in order to protest against the invitation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka to festivities on occasion of the 20th anniversary of Reestablishment of independence of Lithuania.

09.03.2010 Hrodna: observer of Belarusian Helsinki Committee fined at work

The administrative commission of the Leninski district executive committee fined Sviatlana Rudkouskaya, an independent election observer nominated to the Praletarskaya constituency #17 by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee.

02.03.2010 Tatsiana Shaputska lodged claim against Belarusian State University

The Young Front activist appeals against her unlawful expulsion from the university. According to the information given by Tatsiana in an interview to the ERB, she lodged the claim on 28 February with the Maskouski district court in Minsk.

26.02.2010 New Life church to pay USD 100,000 of environmental damage

Today, Judge Alena Shylko of Minsk Maskouski Court fined the New Life Protestant church BYR 8,750,000 for allegedly causing damage to environment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, quoting the church’s lawyer Siarhei Lukanin. The Church will also have to pay BYR 263,000,000 of environmental damage compensation.

25.02.2010 Minsk student fined for supporting Union of Poles

Iryna Hubskaya, activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy creation committee, was fined BYR 175,000 by Minsk Frunzenski administrative commission for posting stickers in Polish ‘Wolna Bialorus’ (‘Free Belarus’) in downtown Minsk on 15-16 February in support of the unrecognized Union of Poles in Belarus, including the buildings of the Belarusian State University and the city executive committee, the BelaPAN news agency reports.

17.02.2010 Vitsebsk: Kastrychnitski district court to deliver judgment on Aleh Surhan’s case on 19 February

Hearing of Aleh Surhan’s criminal case ended in the Kastrychnitski district court of Vitsebsk. Surhan was detained on suspicion of hanging out a white-red-white flag.

17.02.2010 Members of Union of Poles are detained again

The continuation of the trial on confiscation of the Polish House in the town of Ivianets was scheduled for 2.30 p.m. on 17 February in the Valozhyn district court. The trial is initiated by the authorities and is aimed at passing the Polish House to the pro-regime Union of Poles, governed by businessman Stanislau Siamashka.

15.02.2010 Absurd trial of Tereza Sobal, Chairperson of Ivianets organization of Union of Poles

A preliminary sitting on the lawsuit of the pro-regime Union of Poles of Belarus headed by Stanislau Siamasha against Teresa Sobal, Chairperson of the Ivianets branch of the Union of Poles that is not recognized by the Belarusian authorities. Teresa also headed the Polish House in Ivianets before it was sealed by court marshals. The defendant entered motions for summoning witnesses and composing an additional inventory of property in the Polish House.

15.02.2010 Barys Khamaida is accused of ‘disorderly conduct’

Officers of the Chynunachy district police department in Vitsebsk gave such charges to Barys Khamaida for ‘hanging out a white-red-white flag’.

15.02.2010 Detentions and trials of members of disgraced Union of Poles

In Hrodna, the police detained Ihar Banatsar, press secretary of the Union of Poles in Belarus. Mechyslau Yaskevich and Andrei Pachobut, UPB members, were detained on the way to Minsk.

15.02.2010 Anatol Liabezka detained

At 10.30 a.m. on 15 February in Valozhyn, on the eve of the trial of the member of the Union of Poles in Belarus Tereza Sobal, the police detained Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, and guarded him to the Valozhyn district police department. At 5.30 p.m. he was still kept there.

05.02.2010 “Narodnaya Volya“ fined for advertising BelSat TV

The independent Belarusian newspaper will have to pay a fine of 700,000 rubles.

On February 4, the Leninski district court of Minsk found the paper guilty of violating the Law on Advertising and fined it.

02.02.2010 Vitsebsk: political activist Taras Surhan sentenced to a year of preventive supervision

The reason for supervision is that the Vitsebsk activist Taras Surhan had been detained three times and convicted for participation in oppositional actions. The Chyhunachny District Court in Vitsebsk sentenced the activist to a year of preventive supervision.

01.02.2010 Three months of arrest for wish to perform alternative civilian service

Ivan Mikhailau, member of the Messianic Jewish congregation New Testament has been sentenced to 3 months of arrest. According to the European Belarus website, Ivan Mikhailau was found guilty of a criminal offence ‘for draft evasion’