20.05.2015 Ales Bialiatski urges EU to comply with clear value-based criteria in relations with regimes of Belarus and Azerbaijan (VIDEO)
On May 20, Ales Bialiatski, head of the HRC "Viasna" and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights, spoke at the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference in Riga.
18.05.2015 Sign the petition: Freedom for political prisoners in Belarus!
The Belarusian Human Rights Center Viasna, the Swiss-German association Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights and the independent watchdog organization Freedom House have launched a joint online petition to demand the release of all political prisoners from Belarusian president Lukashenka.
12.05.2015 Hungarian politicians discuss human rights situation in Belarus with Ales Bialiatski
May 11 in Budapest, the with the head of the HRC "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski had a meeting with Mr. Gergely Prőehle, State Secretary for International and European Affairs at the Ministry of Human Capacities, and Péter Balázs, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and the European Commissioner for Regional Development who currently heads the Center for EU Enlargement Studies.
07.05.2015 Valiantsin Stefanovich: It is worth reminding the Ministry of Justice about the position of the UNHRC regarding the non-registration of "Viasna"
In her speech in Geneva at the UPR procedure for Belarus, the representative of the Ministry of Justice Hanna Shpak stated that some groups are capitalizing on their status of unregistered public associations for political reasons. Deputy Head of Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich, who was present at that meeting, decided that it was worth reminding the officials of the Ministry of Justice about the history of the organization's non-registration.
06.05.2015 Belarus UPR report of Belarus is heard at UN Human Rights Council
May 4, Belarus presented its national report to the UN Human Rights Council within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This is already the second cycle of the UPR for Belarus. The country reported about the implementation of the recommendations that had been received in the first round of the UPR in 2010.
30.04.2015 Situation of human rights: April 2015
Despite ongoing intensification of contacts between the Foreign Ministry of Belarus and the EU and the United States, there were no positive changes in the field of human rights in the country in April.
22.04.2015 Valiantsin Stefanovich: No political will to implement conditions for Belarus membership in Council of Europe
There is no political will to implement conditions for Belarus’ membership in the Council of Europe, said Valiantsin Stefanovich, deputy head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" on April 21 in Strasbourg during a meeting of the PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy. The hearings were held in preparation of the report of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus Andrea Rigoni.
19.04.2015 Human rights crisis in Belarus discussed at OSCE side event
On April 17, the situation in Belarus was discussed at a side event held in Vienna in the framework of the OSCE additional meeting on the human dimension, dedicated to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
16.04.2015 Ales Bialiatski: No reasons to lift sanctions against Belarus, while there are political prisoners (video)
Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and FIDH Vice President, participated today, along with the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus Miklos Haraszti, in a meeting of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights. The human rights defender urged the EU to continue putting pressure on the Belarusian authorities.
16.04.2015 Human rights activists: Belarus' participation in the UPR gives hope for changes
Universal Periodic Review is one of the few UN mechanisms recognized by the Belarusian authorities. The UPR provides for cooperation between the authorities and civil society. The process of this interaction is still far from perfect, but human rights activists seek to use the platform of the UPR to promote the necessary changes.
15.04.2015 Ales Bialiatski meets Johannes Hahn ahead of his visit to Minsk
In the morning of April 15 in Brussels, the head of the HRC "Viasna" and FIDH Vice-President Ales Bialiatski met with European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn.
14.04.2015 New presidential decree in Belarus uses fines and imprisonment as a means to "stimulate" employment
Human rights activists call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately annul the presidential decree on the "prevention of dependency on social aid" due to its non-compliance with the international human rights obligations of Belarus.
06.04.2015 Decree "On prevention of social dependency" turns all citizens in "obliged persons"
Being a human rights activist, I cannot but make a few observations regarding the Decree No. 3, by which the Presidential Administration amused Belarusian citizens (as well as foreign citizens and even persons without citizenship) last week.
03.04.2015 Human Rights Center "Viasna" demands that the Parliament repeal Article 411 of the Criminal Code
Human rights defenders continue to insist that no one should be punished twice for the same action.
24.03.2015 Mikalai Dziadok: "I want to be the last convict under Article 411 of the Criminal Code"
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" published an open letter by political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok, who draws attention to the gross violations of the rights of those held in prisons, disadvantages and throw-backs of correctional institutions, as well as unfair punishment under Article 411 of the Criminal Code.
