04.08.2013 Statement: “Viasna” demands immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski and all political prisoners
4 August marks two years since the arrest of our friend and colleague, the chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
03.08.2013 United Nations expert urges Government to release Ales Bialiatski and stop persecution of rights defenders
GENEVA (2 August 2013) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, has urged the Belarusian Government to “immediately and unconditionally” release and rehabilitate human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. “Mr Bialiatski’s detention is a symbol of the repression against human rights defenders,” he said.
01.08.2013 4 August – International Day of Solidarity with Civil Society of Belarus
Non-governmental organizations around the world take part in the International Day of Solidarity with Belarusian civil society for the second year already. It is celebrated on 4 August, the anniversary of the detention of the Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski.
24.07.2013 Ales, imprisoned for the past two years: join us!
August 4, 2013 will mark a sad anniversary. Ales Bialiatski has been in jail for two years. Two years behind bars for defending human rights in his home country, Belarus. Ales keeps his hopes up. And despite the forced daily work, he writes a lot. His colleagues published his writings on prison literature in Belarus. And he is currently working on a second book on the human rigts movement in his country. On August 4, we will be alongside Ales. The Belarusian government must know it!
16.07.2013 Statement by the Human Rights Center "Viasna" on the prosecution of Vasil Parfiankou and Uladzimir Yaromenak
Vasil Parfiankou and Uladzimir Yaromenak face up to one year in prison each. If found guilty and sentenced to prison terms, they will be recognized as political prisoners.
01.07.2013 Statement by the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee on sentencing of Andrei Haidukou
On July 1, 2013, Andrei Haidukou was convicted under paragraph 1, Article 14 and Article 356-1 of the Criminal Code (attempt to establish cooperation with the special service, security or intelligence services of a foreign state) and sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.
20.06.2013 Belarusian human rights defenders discuss Paleckis’s report in Brussels
The European Parliament hosted yesterday a meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights to discuss the human rights situation in Belarus, and draft recommendations on the European Union policy in respect of Belarus, based on a report by the MEP Justas Paleckis.
16.06.2013 Belarusian human rights defenders march against death penalty in Madrid (photo, video)
The organizers and participants of the 5th World Congress against the Death Penalty marched yesterday in the streets of Madrid, the city that has become the capital of struggling for the abolition of the cruel and inhuman punishment around the world.
13.06.2013 Belarus : refusal to cooperate triggers renewal of the mandate by the UN Human rights Council
Today (13 June 2013), the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and expressing deep concern at continuing violations of human rights in the country.
13.06.2013 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in May 2013
In May, there was no positive development in the human rights situation in Belarus, which remained consistently bad. The absence of real mechanisms of influence on this sphere inside the country and its strong dependence on foreign factors created a situation where the greatest expectations were associated with external influences, especially concerning the release of political prisoners. However, intensive contacts of the Belarusian authorities with the European Union, its institutions and individual countries as well as with the United States didn't bring perceptible results in this direction.
04.06.2013 Valiantsin Stefanovich reminds Belarusian authorities about international undertakings from UN tribune
On 4 June the deputy head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" participated in an interactive dialogue about the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
30.05.2013 Joint statement of BHC and Viasna on Andrei Haidukou’s case
Human rights defenders call upon the authorities to provide for an open trial, during which all persons concerned could assess the validity of the charges and the legality of the prosecution and the trial.
27.05.2013 Ales Bialiatski reelected FIDH Vice President
Ales Bialiatski, imprisoned leader of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, has been reelected Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights. The vote was held today as part of the 38th FIDH Congress hosted by Istanbul.
23.05.2013 Human rights defenders demand freedom for Ales Bialiatski in Istanbul
Participants in the 38th Congress of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which was opened today in Istanbul, held a rally to demand the release of prominent human rights defenders, FIDH Vice-President Ales Bialiatski and Nabeel Rajab, FIDH Deputy Secretary General.
23.05.2013 Valiantsin Stefanovich: “The Belarusian authorities have not demonstrated a positive trend in implementing the EU conditions”
Valiantsin Stefanovich, Deputy Head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, does not share the optimism of the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Belarus Justas Paleckis, who argues that the human rights situation in the country has improved recently, said he in an interview to the Interfax-West news agency.
