The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2007

13.08.2007 Baranavichy: Viktar Parnachou Ordered not to Disconnect Phones

Today, on 13 August, a 22-year-old resident of Baranavichy Viktar Parnachou received an order from the police not to disconnect his home and mobile phones. He was also warned about possible summons to Baranavichy city police department of internal affairs.

13.08.2007 Police Disrupt Opposition Picnic near Minsk

The police have arrested the loud-speaking equipment that was rented by activists of For Freedom! movement for a picnic held not far from Minsk.

13.08.2007 Why Become a BRSM Member?

According to the charted, the public association Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM) is aimed at all-sided development of youth and revelation of its creative potential, creation of a civil society based pm the spiritual and moral values of the Belarusian people’.

13.08.2007 Riot in Rock Club

At 8.20 p.m. on 11 August in the rock club Arena (Talbukhin Street-4, Minsk) the police forcedly stopped a concert in the memory of Illia Kurkou, aka ‘Smitana’ who tragically died 40 days ago at the age of 19. The police arrested five persons including the drummer of NaiSKAsok, one of the bands who performed at the concert.

13.08.2007 Police Arrest Valery Shchukin for ‘Begging’

Staff-members of Vitebsk railway department of the interior detained a well-known human rights activist Valery Schukin when he was raising funds for repaying Tatsiana Buynevich the moral damage caused to her when she was performing the responsibilities of the regional electoral commission secretary.

13.08.2007 Seviarynets Not Let Abroad

Youth leader Pavel Sevyarinets is not allowed to leave Belarus. At the department for citizenship and migration of the Vitsebsk Pershamaiski district Pavel Sevyarinets was refused of the exit permit.

10.08.2007 Mahiliou Builders Protest against Wage Arrears

Eight workers of construction administration #57 of Mahiliou building trust #12 have filed a repeated complaint with the regional office of labor inspection.

10.08.2007 State Sells Old Palace and Park Complex by Auction

This historical monument is situated in the village of Kraski in Vaukavysk district. At present it is in a rather bad state. That’s why the culture department of Vaukavysk district executive committee (DEC) decided to put it to an auction. The deputy chair of the DEC Uladzimir Zakharchuk said that the authorities had no money for restoration of the palace which turns into ruins. The palace was built in the 19th century by the Sehens’ kin and is one of the best examples of neo-gothic style in Belarus. On the other hand, the park is in quite a good state and has many exotic trees in it.

10.08.2007 Salihorsk Police Detain Young Front Activists

At about 10 a.m. on 10 August Salihorsk police detained four activists of youth movement including Barys Parkhamchuk, Andrei Tychyna and Ivan Shyla. The activists were returning home from a summer camp. The reason for the detention was that they held in their hands a white-red-white flag.

10.08.2007 Larysa Shchyrakova and Zmitser Zhaleznichenka Fined for ‘Illegal Business Activity’

On 9 August the Economical Court of Homel Region found the organizers of a concert of Belarusian bards Larysa Shchyrakova and Zmitser Zhaleznichenka guilty of illegal business activity and sentenced them to pay 310 000 rubles (about 141 US dollars) fine.

10.08.2007 Hrodna Authorities Prohibit Picket in Support of Political Prisoners

On 9 August the members of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Sviatlana Rudkouskaya and Raman Yurhel and a member of the United Civil Party Andrei Yanushkevich received telephone calls from Leninski borough police department of Hrodna.

10.08.2007 Homel: Police Detain Youth Activist Andrei Tsianiuta

On 9 August in the center of Homel, in Paleskaya Street, persons in mufti detained a regional leader of Young Front Andrei Tsianiuta. Later the activist found that these persons were policemen. They drew him to Chyhunachny borough police department of Homel ‘for a talk’. There they searched his belongings, found several independent media outlets (including the officially registered Nasha Niva), composed a confiscation report and a report about illegal distribution of the editions. During the confiscation they violated the process norms. Soon the activist was released.

10.08.2007 Another Espionage Case Passed to Court

An ‘espionage case’ which has been opened by the Belarusian KGB in July this year has been transferred to the Supreme Court of Belarus. That was reported by the press-service of the Supreme Court. The case was started by the military board of judges.

10.08.2007 ‘Internet Simulation’ in Secondary Schools of Homel Region

Homel Regional Institute for Educational Retraining implemented its ‘know-how’ -a simulation of Internet activities - in Belarusian schools.

10.08.2007 Belarusian Authorities Worried with Lithuanian Festival

The Belarusian party hopes that Lithuania will not let ‘propagandistic unfriendly anti-Belarusian actions’ to be taken at the Be2Gether musical festival, runs the today’s appeal distributed by the press-service of the foreign ministry of Belarus.