The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2007

21.08.2007 Medical Diagnose to Tatsiana Tyshkevich after Police Beating

Today the doctors announced diagnoses to Tatsiana Tyshkevich who had been beaten up by the plainclothes staff-members of the special police regiment 16 August when the youth leader Mikita Sasim had been detained. The strike in kidneys provoked the inflammation process in kidneys, the Charter’97 press office was informed by the right activist Iryna Toustsik.

21.08.2007 Belarus to Build Atomic Power Plant

Minister for economy of Belarus Mikalai Zaichanka is sure that the country can’t do without the atomic power engineering. ‘Due to the present day state of relationship with Russia and gas prices the power engineering has become very costly’, declared the minister for economy in Minsk specifying that the majority of heat and electric power plants are gas powered. ‘We are loosing competitiveness on the tariffs and under such conditions we can’t do without an APP’, he said.

21.08.2007 Strikes at Zhdanovichy Market Continue

Around 100 trading outlets were closed today at the Mir Mody (Fashion World) trade center at the Zhdanovichy market. That was reported by one of the leaders of the Minsk entrepreneurs Aliaksandr Makayeu. He said that fur traders refused to start working. According to them, under constantly changing legislation their goods can be any time confiscated by the monitoring bodies.

20.08.2007 Brest: Police Disrupt Meeting with Pavel Seviarynets

On 19 August in Brest the police detained participants of a meeting with a youth leader Pavel Seviarynets. It happened in 30 minutes after the beginning of the meeting. At first the people heard somebody knocking on the door. Then somebody started breaking it out. Shouting: ‘There is a thieves’ meeting! Hands up! I will shoot!’ a group of persons in mufti with a lieutenant-colonel at the head burst into the BPF office rented in a small cafe. About 20 policemen blocked the cafe, detained 32 persons and lead them out with hands on the heads.

20.08.2007 Russian Nazis from Vitsebsk Try to Intimidate Local Democrats

At the end of the last week Vitsebsk activists received threat letters signed by Vitsebsk branch of Russian National Unity (RNE). It is already the second attempt to intimidate the democratic society of Vitsebsk.

20.08.2007 Ivatsevichy: Police Detain Group of Youth Activists

After a visit to memorable places in Kosava a group of youngsters (consisting predominantly of members of BPF Youth) rested in Ivatsevichy district. Today they have been detained by the police.

20.08.2007 Salihorsk: Police Detain and Beat Cycle Race Participants

On Sunday, 19 August, activists of Salihorsk branch of Young Front held a circle race that ended with detentions and beatings.

20.08.2007 ‘NRM’ Concert Banned

On 9 September a concert of NRM rock band was to have taken place at League disco club in Mahiliou. The concert was organized by Mahiliou city center of culture and recreation. At first it was appointed on 26 August, but then was postponed to 9 September because of illness of the lead singer Liavon Volski.

20.08.2007 Spontaneous Protest of Vendors at Zhdanovichy Market

On Sunday 19 August more than 100 vendors staged a spontaneous protest at Svet Mody-3 shopping center in Zhdanovichy after tax officers decided to seize fur coats from a vendor.

20.08.2007 Minsk City Court Upholds Registration Denial to Young Front

On August 17 rejected Minsk City Court a lawsuit filed by the founding committee for a city-level youth organization called Young Front against the Ministry of Justice over a registration denial.

17.08.2007 Chronicle of Events on Solidarity Day, 16 August

On 16 August in Minsk the police used different means to prevent the traditional monthly action of solidarity with political prisoners and families of the missing public and political activists. They behaved most rudely and boldly near St. Joseph’s church in Svabody Square.

17.08.2007 Mikita Sasim Arrested for 10 Days

The press-center of Charter’97 managed to talk to the youth leader Mikita Sasim on mobile phone. Sasim said that he was detained by people in mufti. They seized him, twisted his arms and threw into a car. They behaved very rudely, tore his shirt, hit him in the back and legs several times and threatened to beat him.

17.08.2007 Ivatsevichy: Police Detain Participants of Summer Camp

In the morning of 17 August fifteen members of the BPF Youth headed for the town of Ivatsevichy, from which they planned to come to Koidanava. When they arrived to Ivatsevichy, the police came up to them at the railway station and said that ‘a mobile phone had been stolen’. Then they copied the passport data of all participants of the event. A member of the BPF Youth Andrus Ihnatovich has been detained.

16.08.2007 UN Human Rights Committee Declares Illegal Liquidation of Human Rights Center

Here is the full text version of the appropriate document.

16.08.2007 Mahiliou: Policeman Boldly Violates Journalist’s Rights

On 14 August in Chekhau Street 16 the editor of a small-circulation non-state newspaper Miastsovy Chas Hanna Iliina attended a meeting of Belarusian public activists with their Polish and German colleagues.