The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for April 2009

14.04.2009 Police cannot find the persons who beat Franak Viachorka

Franak Viachorka, forcefully drafted into the army, received a letter saying the police couldn’t find the person who injured the activist.

13.04.2009 Information Ministry rules that ‘Astravetski Vesnik’ must be destroyed

‘The copies of Astravetski Vesnik must be destroyed’, ruled the deputy minister of information Ihar Laptsionak.

13.04.2009 Belarusian MFA ignores decision of UN Human Rights Committee

Ales Bialiatski, the chairman of the board of the Human Rights Center Viasna that was liquidated in October 2003, received an answer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to his recent inquiry. He asked the MFA to explain what measures had been taken for implementation of the ruling of the UN Human Rights Committee concerning registration of Viasna.

13.04.2009 BPF Party is evicted from its office

According to a letter of the Savetski district housing economy of Minsk the BPF Party must leave its office in Masherau Avenue, 8 by 8 July 2009.

13.04.2009 Hlybokaye: ideologists try to intimidate priest Yury Barok

The ideologists of Vitsebsk oblast are of the opinion that the meetings with creative intellectuals, organized by the priest Yury Barok in the town of Hlybokaye, are gatherings of the opposition.

11.04.2009 Authorities again refuse to register Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs

This information was voiced by the leaders of the Assembly on 10 April. On 9 April they received a letter, signed by the vice-minister of justice Alexander Simanau (the application for registration was submitted on 6 March, and the legal time for giving an answer is one month).

11.04.2009 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in March 2009

Celebration of anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic is one of the traditionally important events of March. 25 March 2009 was the first time in the recent years when the appropriate street action went on peacefully, without forced dispersals and detentions. However, one can't say that everything was alright and the right to peaceful assemblies was not violated. On the day of the event the police and security services conducted a number of preventive searches and detentions in the Belarusian capital and regions. In the afternoon the police burst into the apartment of Aleh Ladutska, a Minsk activist of the For Freedom movement, and searched it. They also detained Palina Dziakava, an activist of the For Freedom movement. The apartments rented by the Young Front activists Dzianis Karnou and Valer Matskevich were searched as well. In both cases police referred to telephone calls informing them about fights in the apartments.

10.04.2009 The international foundation for the protection of human rights defenders ‘Frontline’ expresses concern with legal proceedings against Leanid Svetsik

The international foundation for the protection of human rights defenders 'Frontline' addressed Alexander Lukashenka with a letter to express concern with harassment of the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik.

09.04.2009 Statement of Human Rights House Foundation and Norwegian Helsinki Committee on criminal persecution of Leanid Svetsik

The Human Rights House Foundation and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee are concerned about the charges brought against the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik from the Vitebsk region and urge the Belarusian authorities to carry out a transparent and impartial investigation. On 31 March the KGB office in Vitebsk region charged Leanid Svetsik with violating Article 130 (fomentation of national and religious enmity), and Article 367 of the Criminal Code (insulting the honour of the President).

Viktar Rudenka: ‘The musical band 'Dali' is against the death penalty, because we understand that it is inhuman and is a non-democratic practice’

09.04.2009 Viktar Rudenka: ‘The musical band 'Dali' is against the death penalty, because we understand that it is inhuman and is a non-democratic practice’

The leader of the Dali band Vitkar Rudenka signed the petition against the capital punishment in Belarus, the only country in Europe and in the post-Soviet space where this kind of punishment is still in use. All members of the band expressed their definite position on this issue: ‘Dali is against the death penalty!’

09.04.2009 Who needs Astravets nuclear power station?

Activists of the initiative Astravets nuclear power station is a crime applied for sanctioning of an action of protest against construction of the power station on 25 April.

09.04.2009 Political activist Aliaksei Aleksandrovich can’t find a job

The activist of the For Freedom movement and the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Aliaksei Aleksandrovich can’t find a job in the town of Chashniki, where he lives.

09.04.2009 Prosecutor’s office refuses to bring a criminal case on beating of participants of St.Valentine’s Day action

The prosecutors’ office of Savetski district of Minsk ‘does not consider’ beating up participants of the peaceful rally of young people in the capital on St. Valentine’s Day by riot policemen ‘to be a socially dangerous act’.

09.04.2009 Repressions for EU symbols tightening in Belarus

Activists of the civil campaign European Belarus stand trials and are arrested for EU symbols.

08.04.2009 Entrepreneurs of Polatsk refuse to pay taxes

The vendors of the central market of Polatsk decided not to pay the money for development of the market athwart the demands of the market administration.