The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2007

07.08.2007 Hrodna: Riot Police Break Arm to Aliaksandr Shumkevich

On 28 July, at a live performance of Okean Elzy Ukrainian rock band in Hrodna the riot police violently beat Aliaksandr Shumkevich, a leader of the youth structure of United Civil Party, Young Democrats, and broke one of his arms. The incident took place 15 minutes to the end of the action, when several youth activists unfolded a white-red-white flag and raised it above the crowd.

07.08.2007 Homel: Court Upholds Prohibition of Picket against Repeal of Benefits

On 1 June Homel activists of the Party of Communists of Belarus intended to hold a picket against repeal of benefits. However, Homel city executive committee did not authorize the action. As a result the party members sued the committee. Tsentralny borough court of Homel found the refusal of the committee to authorize action legal. Bear in mind that during the last three months the city authorities refused to authorize different pickets and meetings five times.

07.08.2007 Minsk City Court Satisfies Suit of Expelled Student

On 15 May 2007 a four-year student Yury Aleinik was expelled from the Management Academy of the president of Belarus for alleged truancy. During his study Aleinik demonstrated an excellent progress. He stated that the expulsion was a revenge for his public position and political views. In April 2007 he participated in collection of signatures under a public appeal to the Chamber of Representatives for saving of social benefits to students. The activist also chairs Minsk regional organization of Frantsysk Skaryna Belarusian Language Society.

07.08.2007 Homel: Trade Union Activist Demands Disproval of Libel about His Son

Leanid Sudalenka, a legal expert with the Union of Electronic Industry Workers, has demanded that a state-run newspaper in the Homel region should retract what he calls a libelous story about his son.

07.08.2007 Will Belarus Be Sold out?

Recently Belarus has sold an enterprise to a foreign investor without sticking to the majority stock. Experts treat this case as a possible scenario for the forthcoming Belarusian privatization.

07.08.2007 Flash-mob in Uruccha Suburb of Minsk

At 1 p.m. on 4 August a flash-mob of solidarity with those who suffered for their viewpoints and principles from the Belarusian police actions was held in the Uruchcha suburb of Minsk.

07.08.2007 Reporters Without Borders: Alarm over Lukashenka’s Threat to Put End to Online ‘Anarchy’

Reporters Without Borders voiced deep concern about President Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s comments during a visit to the state-owned daily Ыovetskaya Belorussiya, when he said the government planned to increase its control of the Internet and ‘put an end to the anarchy’ online.

06.08.2007 Minsk Police Detain UCP Activists

On 5 August workers of Leninski borough police department of Minsk detained the activists of United Civil Party Artsiom Dareuski and Aliaksandr Siarhiyenka. In their bags the policemen found newspapers Freedom to Belarus, which the guys handed out. The policemen composed violation reports, confiscated 400 copies of the newspape, they recorded the detainees on video and took their fingerprints. The detention lasted for about three hours, then Dareuski and Siarhiyenka were let go.

03.08.2007 FIDH Condemns Serious Human Rights Violations Perpetrated in Belarus on Occasion of State Sovereignty Day

Paris, July 31, 2007 – The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) expresses its deepest concern regarding a wave of arbitrary arrests and subsequent detentions of several opposition members in the run-up of the Belarus « State Sovereignty Day », which took place on July 27, 2007.

03.08.2007 KGB Starts Terrorizing Aleh Minich’s Relatives

Two years Aleh Minich, author of well-known cartoons about Aliaksandr Lukashenka, had to emigrate from Belarus because of persecution from the side of KGB. Now secret services pressurize his family in Hrodna.

03.08.2007 Brest Regional Court Takes Side of State Official

On 2 August Brest regional court rejected the cassation complaint of the former workers of Brest regional TV Liliya Drahachynskaya and Volha Shutava.

03.08.2007 Police Disrupt Youth Summer Camp near Valozhyn

In the morning on 3 August policemen of Valozhyn district police department and workers of Valozhyn sanitation and epidemiology department came to a tent camp near the river of Islach in Valozhyn district, where representatives of Belarusian Student Association and other youth organizations were resting for the second day. The officials ordered the youth to pack the tents and leave the place.

03.08.2007 Minsk: Young Front Sues Justice Department of Executive Committee

Activists of Young Front have sued to Minsk city court against the justice department of Minsk city executive committee to make the latter execute the law on public associations and register the organization.

03.08.2007 Minsk: Detained Activists Get Fined

On 2 August Leninski borough court of Minsk fined the youth activists Artur Dasanau, Yana Karpovich and Siarhei Palaukou 62 000 rubles (about 28 US dollars).

03.08.2007 Supreme Court Suspends Activity of Party of Communists of Belarus

On 2 August the Supreme Court of Belarus suspended the activity of the Party of Communists of Belarus for 6 months. The trial ended at 5.40 p.m. The verdict came into force immediately and can not be appealed.