The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for April 2009

02.04.2009 European Parliament adopted new resolution on Belarus

The resolution condemning human rights violations in Belarus was approved at the session of the European Parliament in Brussels on 2 April by 594 votes in favor and 19 against, RFE/RL reports.

01.04.2009 Aliaksei Marachkin: ‘Life is given to us by God and we have no right to take it way, irrespective of how hard one’s crimes are’

The well-known Belarusian artist Aliaksei Marachkin, a founder of the association of artist, the chairman of the World Alliance of Belarusians Batskawshchyna, took part in the discussion of the capital punishment. He joined the campaign Human Rights activists against death penalty in Belarus and said why he thought it was necessary to abolish this kind of punishment.

01.04.2009 Pavel Seviarynets’ mother is harassed by tax inspection

The well-known Vitsebsk activist Tatsiana Seviarynets suddenly started receiving telephone calls. The people who called her referred to the advertisement in the newspaper Iz Ruk v Ruki about the services of a private tutor. However, the woman didn’t put any ads in the newspaper. In the text of the ad it was specified that the services were expensive. Who and why did it?

01.04.2009 Workers of ‘Mastoudreu’ plant are threatened with dismissal for meetings with oppositionist

The headmaster of the largest enterprise of Masty district ‘Mastoudreu’ Siarhei Asosau threatened the workers that he would dismiss the department where if he saw there the activist of For Freedom movement, deputy of Masty district soviet of deputies Dzmitry Kukhlei there.

01.04.2009 Aleh Vouchak demands from ‘Sovetskaya Belorussiya’ $25 000

The human rights activist Aleh Vouchak filed the appropriate lawsuit to Savetski district court of Minsk this Tuesday. The reason for the suit is an insulting article that was published in the largest state newspaper. Aleh Vouchak is of the opinion that the article, signed by the nick ‘Xenophont Superfosfatov’, besmeared the activities of the Belarusian human rights activists, including the plaintiff.

01.04.2009 Teacher Mariana Hruzdzilovich is reinstated to job

On 31 March in the evening the teacher of SOL Minsk education center Mariana Hruzdzilovich was familiarized with the order cancelling the previous order of dismissal.

01.04.2009 Authorities ban pickets of trade union activists

Hrodna authorities turned down the application of the trade union of radio-electronic industry (TUREI) on sanctioning their picket scheduled for 3 April. The aim of the picket was to express solidarity with the trade union activists in Mahiliou and Homel, where the authorities have many times refused to register the primary units of the trade unions.