The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2009

14.08.2009 Vaukavysk district court justifies oppositionists

Vaukavysk district court retried the case of eight members of the United Civil Party and justified them.

14.08.2009 Hrodna oblast court turned down Ivan Kruk’s appeal

Hrodna oblast court left in force the ruling of Astravets district court by which Ivan Kruk, activist of the civil initiative Astravets nuclear power station is a crime, was fined 700 000 rubles for distribution of printed editions.

14.08.2009 ‘Young Front’ activist Andrei Tsianiuta addressed Russian education minister concerning his expulsion from Bryans Agricultural Academy

Andrei Tsianiuta, activist of the Young Front from Homel, has addressed the Russian education minister with an open letter in connection with his recent expulsion from Bryans Agricultural Academy.

14.08.2009 Political prisoner Artsion Dubski held 16-day hunger-strike of protest

The arrested participant of the Process of 14 has lost 8 kilograms of weight as a result.

14.08.2009 Anzhalika Borys summonsed to police

Head of the unrecognized Union of Poles Anzhalika Borys was summoned to Leninski district police department of Hrodna.

13.08.2009 Ales Bialiatski: The process of registration is of no less importance to us as human rights activists as the fact of registration.

Ales Bialiatski, elected head of the human rights organization Nasha Viasna that was denied the official registration by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights, sums up the process of registration and shares the plans for the future.

13.08.2009 Baranavichy court takes sides with anti-nuclear activists

On 13 August Baranavichy court considered the lawsuit against the three youngsters who had been detained in April for making a number of graffiti on the walls of Baranavichy district executive committee and the Barauchanka knitting factory. In April the activists were tried for it. 18-year-old Aliaksei Zhynherouski was fined 350 000 rubles and two his under-age fellows-in-arms – 70 000 rubles each.

13.08.2009 Protestants refuse to let court marshals in New Life Church

On 13 August, at 9:30 a.m., three officers of court tried to get on the territory of New Life, Minsk-based church of the Union of Full Gospel Churches in Belarus, and hand over a paper. ‘The church members said any officials can’t enter the territory of the church, and they can send the paper by mail. The court officers went away,’ BelaPAN learnt from Siarhei Lukanin, a church lawyer.

13.08.2009 State monopolist ‘Beposhta’ refuses to return subscription to oppositional media

The postal monopolist didn’t include independent newspapers Svobodnye Novosti Plus and Hantsavitski Chas in the subscription catalogue for the second half of year 2009.

13.08.2009 Leanid Autukhou fined 1.4 million rubles for celebrating Independence Day

Judge of Haradok the district court found Leanid Autukhou guilty of organizing an unauthorized action and fined him 1.4 million rubles (about $487).

13.08.2009 Prosecutor’s office states there are no grounds for abolishing Article 193.1

The international association Civic Belarus (registered in the Czech Republic) has received an answer to their appeal from the General Prosecutor’s office of Belarus.

13.08.2009 Picket in support of political prisoners

In the evening on 11 August, an action of solidarity with oppositionists in the Belarusian prisons was held in Minsk.

12.08.2009 Yury Chavusau: ‘Developments in Belarus haven’t reached even the level of 2003, when ‘Viasna’ was liquidated’

Political scientist Yury Chavusau made a comment on the decision of the Supreme Court, by which the appeal against the non-registration of the civil human rights association Nasna Viasna was turned down. He is sure that ‘this verdict witnesses only that the real developments in Belarus haven’t reached the level at which Nasha Viasna could be registered’.

12.08.2009 Supreme Court turned down appeal against non-registration of ‘Nasha Viasna’

The founders of the civil human rights association Nasha Viasna did not manage to get abolished the decision of the Ministry of Justice on the non-registration.

12.08.2009 Mikhail Iliin warned by prosecutor’s office

The activist can face a criminal case for membership in an unauthorized organization. Recently he has been issued a warning for it. As RFE/RL reports, he was also summoned to the prosecutor’s office for giving evidence.