The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

Some leaflets with libelous information concerning the activist of the civil initiative “Construction of Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is a crime!” Mikalai Ulasevich have been distributed in Ashmiany and Astravets. The leaflets are printed on behalf of the civil initiative “Nash Dom” and addressed to ordinary citizens. Mr. Ulasevich is declared a member of “Nash Dom” and accused of stealing some money, swindling. His honest civil activism is described as “chicanery and an opportunity to get good profits”.

The chairman of the “Dziatko-stroi” enterprise, Andrei Dziadko, filed a lawsuit for protection of honor and dignity, in which he demands to exact 30 million rubles in damages from Mikalai Ulasevich, a leader of the civil campaign” Astravets Nuclear Power Plant Is a Crime”. Mikalai Ulasevich is sure that this is a part of the campaign of persecution for his active campaign against the construction of the Nuclear Power Plant near the town of Varniany in the Astravets district.

On 9 November police searched the house of Mikalai Ulasevich, an activist of the civil initiative “Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is a Crime”, in the town of Varniany in the Astravets district. The search took place in his absence, at about 4 p.m. They opened the wardrobes and bookcases and shot the rooms on video. They didn’t take away anything and left no official warrants to confirm their right to such actions.

The Supreme Court has dismissed a complaint by civil activist Mikalai Ulasevich against President Lukashenka’s Decree #418 on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Astravets district, Hrodna region, www.harodniaspring.org reports.

Mikalai Ulasevich, a civil activist from the village of Varniany (situated in the Astravets district of the Hrodna region), received a negative reply to his appeal against the ban of the anti-nuclear picket Chernobyl-Fukushima-Astravets: do we need it? The letter is singed by Aliaksandr Hrynkevich, Chair of the Hrodna Region Court. According to the document, the appeal was forwarded to the Astravets District Court.

Ivan Kruk, a former deputy of the Astravets District Council of Deputies, addressed the General Procuracy of Belarus with an open letter, asking the Prosecutor General to ‘give a legal assessment to unlawful actions of the Astravets district territorial commission for elections to the local Councils of Deputies of the 26th convocation and bring the guilty persons to criminal responsibility.’

Ivan Kruk, a civil activist from Astravets, was fined 1, 050 000 rubles (about $350) for the alleged libel against an official of the Astravets District Executive Committee during the last election.

On 17 June Astravets court suspended civil proceedings against local activist Ivan Kruk, previously charged with distribution of the ‘Legal Aid to Citizens’ newsletter without output data.

Ivan Kruk, an activist of the For Freedom movement, lodged complaints with the Chairperson of the Hrodna Region Executive Committee and the Hrodna Region Procuracy a complaint concerning violations that were committed by the local officials who had headed the Astravets Town Election Commission during the latest election.