The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for March 2008

14.03.2008 Siarhei Parsiukevich Gets Official Charges

The leader of Vitsebsk entrepreneurs, political prisoner Siarhei Parsiukevich has been officially accused by the prosecutor’s office on violation of Article 364 (‘violence or a threat of violence against a policeman’) of the Criminal Code of Belarus.

14.03.2008 Guilty Traffic Policemen Still Working

Alexander Mendzeleu, chief of the republican Traffic Police, said the actions by the traffic officers were unprofessional and they had been dismissed in the connection with the accident. But as it has been found out, the people allegedly dismissed, know nothing about it.

13.03.2008 Editorial Office of ‘Belorusy i Rynok’ Newspaper Robbed

Two days have passed since independent analytical weekly newspaper “Belorusy i Rynok” changed the location, when the editor’s office was visited by uninvited guests. Robbers were in the building at night 13 March.

13.03.2008 Democratic Trade Unions Demand to Punish Police for Porgrom at Their Office

The Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions applied to the minister of interior Uladzimir Navumau with the demand to consider the facts of law violations, committed by the police officers on 9 March in the office of the trade union center, give a principal evaluation to them and punish the guilty.

13.03.2008 Pavel Nazdra Demands Prosecutor’s Check up

On 13 March Pavel Nazdra, member of the organizing committee for the establishment of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party addressed the prosecutor’s office with the request to conduct a check-up on violations of the labor legislation by his employer.

13.03.2008 KGB Confirms Internet Filtering

At a press-conference in Minsk the deputy chair of the anti-terroristic center of the KGB Viachaslau Lilenka stated that ‘unnecessary knowledge present in the internet, must be closed and must reach only those categories of persons, who can correctly understand it.’ According to Linenka, the filtration of access to the websites which can contain information about terrorist actions or provoke them is filtered in Belarus.

13.03.2008 Artist Ryhor Sitnitsa Falls Victim to State Censorship

In the evening of 12 March the Haspoda exhibition of the well-known Belarusian artist Ryhor Sitnitsa was opened at the National art museum of Belarus. Recently Sitnitsa turned 50. The artist says that he dedicates this exhibition not to his own jubilee, but to another great date, the 90th anniversary of declaration of the Belarusian People’s Republic.

13.03.2008 Minsk Authorities Evict Pastor Hancharenka and His Family from Their House

The pastor of the New Life church Vyachaslau Hancharenka has received an order of the Tsentralny District of Minsk. The pastor, living with his family on Repin Street in a private house, was suggested to ruin it.

13.03.2008 State Department Store Demands 28 Million Rubles from Participants of Entrepreneurs’ Protest Action

HUM department store in Minsk has raised a 28-million invoice for participants of the entrepreneurs’ rally on 10 January, an activist of the United Civil Party Mikhail Pashkevich said to Nasha Niva.

13.03.2008 Vandals Break 34 Crosses in Kurapaty Mass Grave

Kurapaty is a place where many innocent people were shot and buried during Stalin’s rule. The Belarusian officials still deny this fact and state that these people were murdered by the Nazis during the World War II. Several years ago they wanted to destroy the mass grave by expanding the ring road to its territory. These plans failed due to a strong civil resistance.

13.03.2008 Head of Belarusian State TV and Radio Company Threatens Entrepreneurs

Aliaksandr Zimouski, head of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company, has answered to the entrepreneurs who had addressed him with a request to give them an opportunity to appear on TV in a live program.

13.03.2008 Dwellers Karl Marx Streets of Minsk Left in Their Houses

Minsk city executive committee has taken a decision not to rehouse people living in Karl Marx Street, and to preserve the functional purpose of these houses, told the chairman of the Committee of Architecture and urban development of Minsk City Executive Committee Viktar Nikitsin.

13.03.2008 Authorities Demand 125 Million Rubles from Participants of Entrepreneurs’ Action

The Young Front activist Uladzimir Siarheyeu, accused of organization of the protest rally of entrepreneurs, was invited to come to the investigation department of Minsk city executive committee for familiarization with the materials of the criminal case on 14 March.