Picks of the Week
Former political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka facing additional charge; Belarusian civil society downplays revocation of illegal NGO membership; official in Mahilioŭ goes unpunished for banning a protest against herself
UN Human Rights Council renews mandate of Special Rapporteur on Belarus (video, document)
The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted in favor of a resolution to extend for a period of one year the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Picks of the Week
Exhibition on death penalty in Belarus opens in London; only Belarusian political prisoner does not qualify for early release; religious group charged for policing pilgrimage forced to call off event
Andrei Paluda: Abolition of the death penalty is what every Belarusian needs (photo, video)
Belarus is the only country in Europe and among post-Soviet states that stills executes people. The people here are killed by shooting in the back of the head. Despite the widely recognized fact that the death penalty does not work as a deterrent and is an apparent vestige of the Middle Ages, the conveyor of death continues to operate, while the veil of secrecy and the inhuman treatment to the families of death row prisoners are reminiscent of the Stalin-era repression.
Critical blogger cleared of embezzlement charges
The Investigative Committee’s office in the city of Biaroza, Brest region, has closed the criminal case against blogger Aliaksandr Kabanau, known for his role in covering the environmental protests in Brest. He was suspected of misappropriation of more than 400 rubles (USD 200) under Art. 211, Part 1 of the Criminal Code.
UN human rights experts denounce execution in Belarus
Belarus must halt the executions of individuals who have submitted complaints to the Human Rights Committee, UN human rights experts said today upon being informed about the execution of Aleksandr Zhilnikov whose case is being examined by the Committee.
UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus: “Too many issues ignored for too long” (video)
On June 2, Anaïs Marin, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation with human rights in Belarus, presented her first report on the human rights situation in the country at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Human Rights Situation in Belarus: June 2019
On June 13, Viasna learned about the execution of Aliaksandr Zhylnikau, who was sentenced to death by a verdict of the Minsk City Court. The fate of the other convict in the same case, Viachaslau Sukharka, who was also sentenced to death, is still unknown, but, given the current practice of enforcing death sentences in Belarus, we can assume that he was also executed.
Berlin passes resolution on Belarus on occasion of European Games
The Bundestag Human Rights Committee has adopted a resolution on Belarus on the occasion of the 2nd European Games in Minsk, condemning the violation of human rights in the country. The document, inter alia, notes the use of the death penalty, poor prison conditions and harsh sentences for drug-related crimes for minors.
Campaigners present documentary to mark decade of anti-death penalty activism (video)
On June 30, Maladziečna hosted the premiere screening of a documentary entitled “We are against the death penalty” filmed to mark 10 years since the launch of “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”, a nation-wide campaign fighting to end executions in Belarus.
FIDH and Viasna: Mass Roundups of Roma People Must Be Investigated
FIDH and its member organization in Belarus, the Viasna Human Rights Centre, urge the Belarusian authorities to immediately put an end to all violence and persecution against the Roma community and to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the human rights abuses that took place in Mogilev, where 300 people were arbitrarily arrested, including 100 detained last month in raids which specifically targeted this minority ethnic group.
Prosecutor General’s Office blind to police abuse in Mahilioŭ Roma raids
A working group created to investigate reports of police brutality during a major raid on Roma houses in Mahilioŭ and several other cities on May 16 found no “illegal actions or abuse of power,” Deputy Prosecutor General Aliaksei Stuk said at a press conference on June 25.
Elections-2018
- Reporters Without Borders: Journalists, bloggers barred from vote count in Belarus
- Local elections. Final report
- EU Urges Belarus To Undertake 'Serious' Electoral Reform
- Electoral system of Belarus requires urgent reanimation
- Report on monitoring the phase of election campaigning
- HRDs to present results of monitoring local elections
- Report on the registration of candidates for deputies of local councils
- Denying registration to opposition candidates aims at securing desired turnout
- Report on monitoring the formation of precinct election commissions
- Report on the results of monitoring the registration of nomination groups
- Monitoring report on the formation of district election commissions
- Monitoring report on the formation of territorial election commissions
- Human rights activists launch campaign of monitoring local elections
- Fact sheet on the press conference by the campaign “Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections”
- Local elections on the background of shelved electoral changes — press conference by human rights defenders
Our websites
