The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2008

11.12.2008 Homel: Christian democrats are considered as extremists

Democratic activist, psychiatrist Siarhei Tryfanau was warned about the inadmissibility of participation in extremist organizations by his bosses.

11.12.2008 Astravets: violation report for distribution of registered newspaper

Officers of Astravets district executive committee (Hrodna oblast) composed a violation report against an opposition activist Ivan Kruk (well-known democratic activist, an organizer of resistance to construction of nuclear power plant in Astravets district).

11.12.2008 Hrodna: harassment of civil activists continues

Civil and political activists are still detained in Hrodna. In the morning the road police stopped the car by which a member of the For Freedom movement Ales Zarembiuk, the head of Hrodna city organization of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Vadzim Saranchukou and the head of Hrodna oblast organization of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada Viktar Sazonau were driving. The car was guarded to the building of the narcological dispensary.

11.12.2008 Professor Andrei Kaliada is dismissed from Belarusian Academy of Arts for political reasons

Professor Andrei Kaliada has been dismissed from the Belarusian Academy of Arts because of his collaboration with Belarus Free Theatre and literary translations.

11.12.2008 Ales Bialiatski: ‘It is prohibited to distribute Declaration of Human Rights in the country that signed it’

Vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights comments on the arrests in Minsk at 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclamation.

11.12.2008 Detention on the Ukrainian border

Activists of the Belarusian opposition may face problems at the border crossing point Makrany in Malaryta district on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

11.12.2008 Bararanavichy authorities ignore anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In Baranavichy human rights activists haven’t been allowed celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

11.12.2008 Forced subscription to state press continues

The editorial office of Novy Chas newspaper has received a letter with the request to subscribe for 14 state-run newspapers.

11.12.2008 Minsk: attempt of detention at yesterday’s ‘Young Front’ action

A policeman tried to detain one of the participants of a street action ‘Tribunal for Communism!’, but had to give up under pressure of ... elderly women passing by.

11.12.2008 Kobryn: detention for white-red-white flag

Two activists of the Young Front were detained while fixing a national white-red-white flag to a flagpole in the main square of Kobryn near the district executive committee.

10.12.2008 Belarus celebrates 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: about 30 detentions

Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration in Belarus was marked with mass (and in some cases, quite rude) detentions of human rights defenders and civil activists.

10.12.2008 Detentions in Mahiliou

At this photo the police sergeants Pavel Mechykin and Alexander Ilvou guard the detained distributors of Human Rights Declaration (Alexander Karaliou and Alexander Padalian) to the police station.

10.12.2008 Hrodna: detention of journalist Ivan Roman

On 10 December in Hrodna the police detained independent journalist Ivan Roman and guarded him to Leninski district police department. The detention took place while he was implementing his professional duties at an action of the local human rights activists, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The journalist showed to the policemen his badge, but it did not stop them.

10.12.2008 KGB warns lyceum pupils

On 9 December a KGB officer paid a visit to lyceum #7 to talk to the 18-year-old pupils Siarhei Svirydau and Artur Zaitsau. He introduced himself as Andrei and explained his visit with the necessity to warn them about the inadmissibility of participation in unregistered youth organizations.

10.12.2008 National Human Rights Award 2008

The organizing committee of Charter’97 determined nominees for National Human Rights Award 2008. Prize For Personal Courage is given to Alexander Barazenka, Andrei Kim, Siarhei Parsiukevich, and Halina Yubko. Yuliya Darashkevich won in the nomination For Defence of Freedom of Speech Principles.