News on the topic: political prisoners
09.11.2015 FIDH calls on French President to fight for release of Leyla Yunus
Karim Lahidji, FIDH President, Sidiki Kaba and Michel Blum, both FIDH Honorary Presidents have been promoted in the National Order of the Legion of Honour today, Friday 6 November 2015, by President François Hollande at the Elysee Palace.
10.10.2015 Procession of National Flag in Minsk (updated)
A number of politicians and public figures have called on people to take part in the rally and procession on October 10 in central Minsk. People were told to come to Svabody Square at 5 p.m. and then proceed to Yakub Kolas Square under national white-red-white flags.
11.09.2015 Report on monitoring of the picket "For Fair and Free Elections" in Minsk on September 10
The picket of September 10, 2015 was of peaceful nature. The absence of an application for holding the mass event, as required by law, is not a reason to limit the freedom of peaceful assembly.
11.09.2015 Picket “For Fair and Free Elections” held in downtown Minsk
Former political prisoner and presidential candidate of the Republic of Belarus in 2010 Mikalai Statkevich stated he would hold an electoral picket on September 10 with the demand of free elections. The action started at 6 p.m.
11.09.2015 Mikalai Statkevich intends to use possibilities of electoral campaign
At the unauthorized picket “For Free and Fair Elections”, held near the City Department Store (HUM) on September 10, former political prisoner and presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich promised to invite Aliaksandr Lukashenka to a meeting in the coming weeks.
09.09.2015 Former political prisoner Statkevich still eager to hold his electoral picket and treats police intimidation with irony
The former political prisoner told “Nasha Niva” that on September 8 he was summonsed for a “talk” to the Main Police Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee. The reason was that he intended to hold a picket in the center of Minsk (near HUM department store) on September 10 do demand free elections.
08.09.2015 Aliaksei Mikhalevich detained on Belarusian border and released under “non-leave recognizance” (updated)
As learned by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, this morning a former presidential candidate in 2010, Aliaksei Mikhalevich, has been detained while crossing the border by train Vilnius-Minsk.
08.09.2015 What restrictions can be imposed on former political prisoners
After the release of six political prisoners there have been voiced many opinions as to which restrictions that may be imposed on them, since they all have outstanding convictions. Here we offer an explanation, given by the lawyer Pavel Sapelka for the website palitviazni.info.
02.09.2015 Stefanovich: The objective of the authorities was to clear the list of political prisoners
According to the website of the Investigative Committee of Belarus, the persons, charged in the "graffiti case", have been released under the recognizance not to leave.
01.09.2015 FIDH: Sentsov and Kolchenko trial : outrageous sentence, torture and rights violations
The sentencing on 25 August of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and civic and antifascist activist Alexander Kolchenko to respectively 20 and 10 years of severe regime detention is scandalous, declared today FIDH and ADC Memorial.
01.09.2015 Khadija Ismayilova Sentenced To 7.5 years in jail
September 1, Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced investigative journalist and the host of daily radio show on AzadliqRadiosu Khadija Ismayilova to 7 years and 6 months. Ismayilova was acquitted on the charge of incitement to attempt side under Article 125.
01.09.2015 Ihar Alinevich: Support from human rights defenders gave feeling that I have people to rely on
The former political prisoner met with human rights defenders after the release.
27.08.2015 UN Special Rapporteur: Release of political prisoners without rehabilitation is half step
Miklós Haraszti, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, welcomes the release of six Belarusian political prisoners.
26.08.2015 Human Rights Watch: Great News from Belarus but has Anything Really Changed?
The news was good, if unexpected: On August 22, Belarus’ President Aliaxander Lukashenka pardoned on “humanitarian grounds” six men imprisoned by the authorities. International and domestic rights groups and organizations had recognized them as “political prisoners” and had been pressuring Belarus for their release, in some cases for years.
26.08.2015 Martin Uggla: It’s naïve to think that “liberalisation” started in Belarus
Release of political prisoners changes nothing in the dictatorial system of power, Lukashenka is simply looking for a way out of the dire financial condition.
