The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

21.01.2010 New Life Church to pay Br260-million fine

The Natural Resources and Environment Committee obliged the persecuted church to pay the fine within two months.

Syarhei Lukanin, a New Life’s lawyer, told Radio Svaboda the Minsk Natural Resources and Environment Committee offered him to sign a protocol, under which the church must pay a Br260-million fine.

15.01.2010 Ivan Mikhailau to be tried on 29 January

According to information of Mikhail Pashkevich, leader of the campaign For alternative civil service, the trial on the case brought against Ivan Mikhailau, believer of Jewish-messianic community, will take place on 29 January at the Minsk district court.

13.01.2010 Biaroza: court dismissed lawsuit of human rights defenders

The Biaroza district court finished the trial of the lawsuit of the human rights defenders Vasil Azaranka and Siarzhuk Rusetski against the refusal of Biaroza district executive committee to authorize the picket dated to Human Rights Day, 10 December.

11.01.2010 Navahradak: Yury Kazak fined 8,7 million rubles

On 11 January Valer Tsynkevich, judge of Navahradak district court, issued a verdict to the activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Yury Kazak. The activist was fined 8,750 000 rubles (an equivalent of $3,089) for spilling green paint on the local monument to Lenin.

05.01.2010 Vitsebsk: trial for memorial crosses

Today Vitsebsk district court started trying the case that was brought by Vitsebsk district prosecutor’s office against the head of Vitsebsk oblast branch of Belarusian Popular Front Party Kastus Smolikau.

04.01.2010 "New Life" Church got fined 263 mln rubles

According to Siarhei Lukanin, lawyer of New Life, Church of Religious Association of Full Gospel Churches in the Republic of Belarus, Minsk city committee of natural resources and environmental protection fined the church 262 798 725 rubles (about $91,887) for environmental pollution under Article 15.11 of the Code of Administrative Violations of the Republic of Belarus.

04.01.2010 Court declined pretensions of Homel human rights defenders to executive committee

On 30 December Siarhei Shytsikau, judge of the Tsentralny district court of Homel turned down the lawsuits of the human rights defenders Anatol Paplauny and Leanid Sudalenka to Homel city executive committee. The plaintiffs demanded that the court abolished the ruling of the executive committee on the prohibition of a human rights picket on 10 December, Human Rights Day.

04.01.2010 Biaroza: human rights activists sue district authorities

Biaroza human rights defenders have received summons to the court in the capacity of plaintiffs. The defendant is Biaroza district executive committee who prohibited the activists to hold a picket on 10 December, the Human Rights Day.

04.01.2010 Administrative case for refusal to be fingerprinted

An administrative case was instigated against a dweller of the town of Biaroza who tried to find out why he must be fingerprinted.

24.12.2009 LGBT activists fined

On 23 December Judge Aksana Reliava of Minsk Savetski Court considered the civil cases of two LGBT activists Siarhei Androsenka and Siarhei Pradzed charged with holding an unauthorized picket outside the Iranian embassy on 16 December. Judge Reliava found them guilty and fined the activists BYR 825,000 and 350,000 respectively. Another participant of the picket was fined BYR 105,000 on 17 December.

08.12.2009 Homel: human rights defenders sue city administration

Homel human rights defenders Leanid Sudalenka and Anatol Paplauny filed a lawsuit to the Tsentralny district court of Homel against the numerous refusals of Homel city executive committee to authorize the meetings, pickets and other mass events that were organized by them, after the authorities banned to them a picket dedicated to the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

07.12.2009 Office of Prosecutor General received wrong punishment

About 1 500 people were drawn to administrative responsibility in the wrong way. This is the official information of the General Prosecutor’s office for nine months of 2009.

04.12.2009 Journalist Maryna Koktysh still can’t get accredited at Chamber of Representatives

The Supreme Court turned down the complaint of the chief editor of the Narodnaya Volia newspaper Iosif Siaredzich and its journalist Maryna Koktysh against the verdict of the court of the first instance that refused to bring civil proceedings concerning the refusal of the Chamber of Representatives to issue accreditation to the latter. ‘As long as the question of journalist accreditation is beyond the competence of the court and the legislation of the Republic of Belarus does not provide consideration of complaints against accreditation denials by court, the judge reasonably refused to bring proceedings’, reads the letter of 30 November, signed by the deputy head of the Supreme Court A.Fedartsou.