The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for October 2007

12.10.2007 Chair of Belarusian Language Society Proposes to Punish Officials for Destruction of Hrodna’s Old Town

At the end of September the Belarusian Language Society received an answer from the Ministry of Culture, department of protection of historical and cultural heritage. BLS had applied to the prosecutor’s office of Belarus concerning law violations during the ?reconstruction’ of the historical center of Hrodna.

12.10.2007 Vileika: Activists Warned against Participation in European March

On 12 October the activists of For Freedom movement Mikhas Kulets and Ales Sudak and a member of the United Civil Party Uladzimir Maliarchuk were warned that they would be punished in case they took part in an unauthorized action on 14 October.

12.10.2007 Homel and Hrodna: Preventively Detained Declare Hunger-strike

Several days ago in Homel the police detained the leader of Homel city office of the United Civil Party Vasil Paliakou and his deputy Uladzimir Katsora. Both of them were found guilty of ?dirty swearing’ and sentenced to 7 days of jail. Now they are kept in the temporary isolator of Homel. Katsora and Paliakou have declared a hunger-strike.

12.10.2007 Mahiliou: Zmitser Salauiou Awaits Trial

In the night of 11-12 October in Mahiliou the police detained the deputy chair of Mahiliou city office of the Belarusian People’s Front Party Zmitser Salauiou and composed on him a report for ?petty hooliganism’. There they wrote that he had allegedly sworn dirtily and pissed in their eyes.

12.10.2007 Viktar Ivashkevich Condemns Police Hooliganism

On 12 October three policemen in mufti were watching the entrance of the central office of the Belarusian People’s Front Party in Masherau Strret (former Varvashenia Street) in Minsk. They illegally searched those who went out of the office and confiscated from them informational materials about the upcoming opposition’s action European March.

12.10.2007 Slovakian Charge D’affaires Speaks about 12 EU Conditions for Belarus

The EU is interested in Belarus’ joining the European community, Slovakian charge d’affaires to Belarus Lubomir Rehak told BelaPAN. The diplomat is a member of the EU Ambassadors delegation that is visiting Homel region on 11-12 October.

11.10.2007 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in September 2007

In September the democratic opposition of Belarus was preparing to the autumn actions, the European and the Social marches, to demand from the authorities the realization of the social guarantees and familiarize the population with the EU proposals to Belarus and the conditions in which they could come into effect. On 30 September the United democratic forces intended to hold mass pickets all over Belarus. Official applications for authorization of these actions were filed in more than 60 towns and cities of Belarus. One day Salihorsk district executive committee received about a hundred of picket applications, half of which were aimed at protesting against the present social policy, the liquidation of social benefits and guarantees and others – at collection of signatures under the demand to release political prisoners.

11.10.2007 Aliaksandr Atroshchankau Sentenced to 10 Days of Jail

In the evening of 9 October the police allegedly received information about smell of putrefaction from the apartment that was rented by Aliaksandr Atroshchankau. ?We came there, but found no body. There was already an investigative group working in the flat. Then we drove Atroshchankau to the district police department for identification, and he insulted us with four-letter words,’ testified at the trial a policeman Zmitser Kurylchuk.

11.10.2007 Smarhon: Police Siege Activist’s House All Night Long

In the morning of 11 October a public activist Ales Dzerhachou phoned and said that a police car kept duty near his house all night. From time to time the police went out and walked near his windows with pocket flashlights. At 8 a.m. the car changed. The police continue the siege.

11.10.2007 Women’s Party 'Nadzeya' Liquidated

The Supreme Court of Belarus satisfied the suit of the Ministry of Justice on liquidation of the Women’s Party Nadzeya. The official reason is that the party had committed a number of law violations.

11.10.2007 New Detentions in Minsk

On 10 October the youth activists Mikita Sasim and Pavel Yukhnevich were detained in Minsk and taken to Frunzenski district police department. Most probably, it is another preventive detention on the eve of the European march.

11.10.2007 Andrei Klimau Sent to High Security Prison in Mazyr

A political prisoner Andrei Klimau has been sent to the high security prison in Mazyr. Since 10 October till lately he has been kept in an investigative isolator in Minsk.

11.10.2007 Czech Deputy Prime Minister: ?Even solving important energy problems we should not forget human rights’

?Even solving important energy problems we should not forget the human rights’, - Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic declared, speaking on the international conference ?Responsible Energy for Responsible Partners’ in Vilnius 11 October.

11.10.2007 Brest: Trials for Participation in Presentation of Seviarynets’ Book Continue

On 10 October Maskouski district court of Brest fined Anatol Yarmak 620 000 Belarusian rubles (about 288 US dollars). On 19 August Yarmak had been detained at the presentation of Pavel Seviarynets’ book. The trial of Yarmak was postponed several times because of the absence of the accusation witnesses. Finally a witness came to the court, but it was not the witness whose explanations had been attached to the case in the beginning.

11.10.2007 Mazyr: Pavel Nazdra Detained

In the evening of 10 October in Mazyr the police detained a coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Pavel Nazdra.