The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for March 2008

06.03.2008 Pensioner to Be Tried for Threats to Lukashenka

Viktar Rakusevich is to appear before the court of the Zavadski District of Minsk on 12 March. He is accused of threats against Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

06.03.2008 Valery Shchukin Banned to Go Abroad

Former deputy of the Supreme Soviet Valery Shchukin wasn’t allowed to leave Belarus. He couldn’t fly to Germany from Minsk and flew there from Russia.

06.03.2008 Court Upholds Drafting Zmitser Zhaleznichenka to Army Service

Today judge of Homel City Tsentralny District Court Zhana Andrejchyk hasn’t supported the challenge of the mother of the activist and found Zmitser Zhaleznichenka’s expellation from Homel University legal.

06.03.2008 Trial on Rehabilitation of Z.Zhaleznichenka at University

The first court hearing on claim of youth democratic activist Zmitser Zhaleznichenka against the Frantsysk Skaryna Homel State University was held on 5 March in the court of the Tsentralny district of Homel.

06.03.2008 Mikhail Kryvau: ‘There can be any evidence of my guilt in the fabricated case’

In his interview with the UCP press-service the activist of Young Democrats Mikhail Kryvau said: ‘I consider the criminal accusation for my participation in the meeting on 10 January as a legal boundlessness. Yes, I really participated in this action, but I have never fought with the road police, did not rush under car wheels, did not break anything, did not beat or insult anyone, unlike some riot policemen, who beat and insulted the detained meeting participants in the police busses. I have a clear conscience and can answer for all my actions.

06.03.2008 Entrepreneur Sviatlana Dvaraninava on Indefinite Hunger-strike

The entrepreneur Sviatlana Dvaraninava keeps the sixth indefinite hunger-strike in the women’s jail in Homel.

06.03.2008 Pastor of Jesus Christ Church Complains to Mazyr Authorities

On 4 March Siarhei Suzko, pastor of the parish of full gospel Christians of the Jesus Christ Church, directed complaints to Mazyr district executive committee, Mazyr town prosecutor’s office and Homel oblast executive committee against the actions of workers of the ideological department of Mazyr town executive committee.

06.03.2008 Cost of Domestic Violence in Belarus

On 8 March the Belarusian women are given flowers and listen to congratulations, but during the rest of the year not all of them feel save even at home. What is the cost of the economic damage from domestic violence?

05.03.2008 Search in Babruisk

In the afternoon on 5 March the local police inspector, a representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and an unknown person in mufti paid a visit to the private house of the human rights activist Ihar Khodzka. Besides, Khodzka, at that time in the house there were several youngsters, including the leader of Babruisk branch of the BPF Youth Siarzhuk Latsinski.

05.03.2008 Maksim Siarhiyets Arrested for Five Days

In the evening of 4 March, the official Police Day, Siarhiyets and two his friends were detained in a trolleybus for having posted a sticker inviting people to the meeting in honor of the Freedom Day, 25 March, when the Belarusian People’s Republic was declared. Maksim’s friends were soon let go, while he was left in custody till trial. During the interrogation the policemen insulted and beat the detainees.

05.03.2008 Miron Hangs Flag in Honor of Yazep Liosik

In the evening of 4 March a white-red-white flag was hanged on the roof of a five-storeyed house in Kasmanautau Street in Vitsebsk.

05.03.2008 Police Illegally Copies Documents of Political Parties

On 4 March near Shchuchyn the police detained the car of the human rights activist Viktar Sazonau, who was driving home together with the regional activist of the BPF Party Siarhei Malchyk and the chairman of the regional UCP branch Yury Istomin. According to the police, they were looking for forged money. After the preliminary examination of the car the police guarded the detainees to Shchuchyn district police department and kept them there for three hours.

05.03.2008 Administrative Case against Barys Khamaida and Alena Zaleskaya Returned for Revision

On 4 March in Vitsebsk an administrative commission considered the administrative case against the local activists Barys Khamaida and Alena Zaleskaya, who were detained on 25 February in the city center during an action in the memory of Iryna Kazulina, Aliaksandr Kazulin’s wife.

04.03.2008 Passenger Informant

According to the chairman of Minsk city organization Young Democrats Vital Stazharou, the police detained the youth activists Maksim Siarheyets and Aliaksei Shloma.

04.03.2008 Criminal Case against Katsiaryna Salauyova Passed to Court

The criminal case brought against Katsiaryna Salauyova under article 193.1 of the Criminal Code – participation in unregistered organization – has been passed to court.