The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

12.03.2012 Another lawyer of political prisoner Andrei Sannikau gets disbarred

last week the presidium of the Minsk municipal panel of lawyers disbarred Andrei Varvashevich. This is Sannikau’s second lawyer to be disbarred. Previously, lawyer Pavel Sapelka was disbarred.

12.03.2012 Ex-political prisoner Mikita Likhavid searched on Belarusian border

Former political prisoner Mikita Likhavid and his mother Alena were searched on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border for 6 hours, RFE/RL reports.

07.03.2012 What are Ales Bialiatski’s perspectives in penal colony?

Political prisoner, human rights defender Ales Bialiatski sent his friends and relatives first postcards from the Babruisk penal colony where he has been kept since 28 February. He was placed in the quarantine for two weeks.

06.03.2012 Kavalenka’s relatives try to do everything possible to save his life

On 27 February the family of Siarhei Kavalenka informed the Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council about the situation of the political prisoner who continues a hunger strike of protest after receiving a prison sentence on 24 February. The document was prepared with the help of Vitebsk human rights defenders.

05.03.2012 Political prisoner Bandarenka gets no disability status

Disability status was not given despite spine surgery and a risk of immobilization.

05.03.2012 Political prisoner Statkevich receives censorship notes instead of letters

As said by Leanid Haravy, an activist of the Movement "For Freedom" who maintains correspondence with political prisoners, he received a postcard from Mikalai Statkevich in which it was written that he hadn't received the previous letter – just its envelope, with the attached note "The letter didn't pass censorship".

01.03.2012 Supreme Court doesn’t respond to review appeals of political prisoners

The activists of the anarchist movement who had been sentenced to prison terms and declared prisoners of conscience, filed review appeals against their verdict.

01.03.2012 New restrictions of political prisoners' rights

According to Volha Bandarenka, the wife of European Belarus civil campaign coordinator Zmitser Bandarenka, who was an election agent for presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau at the 2010 election, her husband has faced stronger information isolation. Earlier, she received letters on political and philosophical themes from him that were published by websites and newspapers, but now only letters about his daily routine are delivered. She talked about this at a round table discussion “Political prisoners are our pain” organized by “For Freedom!” coordination group, BelSat reports.

29.02.2012 Health of Zmitser Bandarenka deteriorated

The wife of Zmitser Bandarenka, the coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign, received a letter from her husband saying his diseases aggravated.

28.02.2012 Hrodna authorities ban picket in support of political prisoners

Hrodna human rights defenders Viktar Sazonau and Raman Yurhel will not be able to hold a picket of solidarity with Belarusian prisoners of conscience, after their application was dismissed by local executive authorities.

28.02.2012 Bundestag member supports Syarhei Kavalenka

Marieluise Beck condemned the sentence against the Vitsebsk political prisoner.

27.02.2012 “Andrei Sannikov. The Judgement Time Chronicle” (video)

Mini-film “The Judgement Time Chronicle” is dedicated to the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, who was sentenced to five years in prison for political reasons.