The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

On 19 January, Slonim District Court dismissed an appeal against a decision by the town executive committee to ban a series of pickets of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski.

Ivan Sheha, Slonim leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, has lodged a lawsuit against local executive authorities, after he has been repeatedly denied the right to hold pickets in support of imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski between 3 September and 3 December 2011.

Slonim district executive committee has banned a picket of solidarity with imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski, referring to the absence of authorized locations for holding such events.

About 20 workers of a workshop of the Slonim cardboard and paper plant “Albiartsin” wrote applications for leaving the official Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus. They decided to create a unit of the Free Trade Union. The reason for such a decision is the failure of the state trade union to solve their problems.

Association of the democratic forces of Slonim has filed a collective address with the Slonim District Executive Committee concerning ruling #536 of the Hrodna Region Executive Committee of 29 July 2011, sanctioning the cutting of the woodland park in the Albiartsin suburb with the aim to clear plots of land (first of all, for wealthy people and state officials). The woodland was divided into parts and marks were put on the trees which would be cut down.

Mechyslau Kastsiuk, now a member of the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assemblies of Belarus, headed the Slonim District Executive Committee in 2002-2008. A monument of wooden architecture, mansion on Chkalau Street, was destroyed during this time. The mansion was situated in a small public garden. It was constructed in 1923 and followed the traditions in the construction of mansions of 18-19 centuries. Though it was ruined, the mansion is still present in the local register of monuments of architecture.

Ivan Bedka, Slonim leader of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, has been fined BYR 1,400,000 for involvement in the organization of so called People’s Assembly on 8 October.

Ivan Sheha, member of the Belarusian Popular Front’s Slonim office, has received two formal replies from the local prosecutor’s office.

On 12 October the Slonim District Court tried Ales Masiuk, a participant of the People's Assembly which had taken place in Slonim on 8 October.

On 12 October the Slonim District Court tried Ales Masiuk, a member of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, for active participation in the People’s Assembly in Slonim.