09.09.2009 Mikalai Autukhovich is returned to prison ward

The political prisoner was transferred from the medical unit of the detention facility to a common cell. Lawyer Pavel Sapelka visited Mikalai Autukhovich on 8 September.

08.09.2009 Navapolatsk entrepreneur Yauheniya Bochurnaya declares indefinite hunger-strike

According to unofficial information, on 4 September Navapolatsk entrepreneur Yauheniya Bochurnaya, director of the open stock society Votrzzha, declared an indefinite hunger-strike. This was stated to the BelaPAN by her husband, Uladzimir Zhurba.

08.09.2009 Head of Supreme Court refused to discuss judicial come-offs again

As said by the resident of Babruisk Liubou Sankevich, the head of the Supreme Court Valiantsin Sukala refused to discuss the problem of judicial come-offs with a group of women who disagree with the court decisions on their civil cases or the criminal cases against their relatives, for the third time.

08.09.2009 ‘Young Front’ pickets Russian Embassy on Belarusian Military Glory Day

Riot police detained Young Front activists Mikalai Dzemidzenka and Marharyta Karol. The young oppositionists tried to unfurl a banner near the Russia’s embassy in Minsk, RFE/RL reports.

08.09.2009 Military medics issue new diagnosis to ‘Young Front’ activist Andrei Tsianiuta

Andrei Tsyanyuta has discharged from the hospital, where he had been examined within the frames of the drafting campaign.

08.09.2009 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in July-August 2009

A year passed since the celebration of the official Independence Day on 3 July 2008, at which more than 50 people had been injured after the explosion of a home-made bomb. A criminal case under the article 'malignant hooliganism' was brought on this fact. Aleh Piakarski, Chairperson of the organized crime department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated to Interfax that, 120 persons were considered as suspects in the explosion case since 3 July 2008 till 3 July 2009, but none of them proved to be guilty.

07.09.2009 Aleh Surhan intends to sue against the police torturers

Aleh Surhan, recently by Vitsebsk police, solicited for bringing a criminal case against the officers who had tortured him at the police station.

07.09.2009 Provocations and detentions at ‘Battle of Orsha’2009’ festival

Traditional festival Battle of Orsha was to take place near Orsha town at night of 5-6 September. The festival is traditionally held at Krapiuna Field, the historic place of the Battle of Orsha in 1514, where the army of the Great Duchy of Lithuania (predecessor of Belarus) defeated the Russian army. Police officers said a mine had been found on the field and didn’t allow people to come there.

04.09.2009 Supreme Court turned down cassation complaint against non-registration of ‘Brestskaya Viasna’

On 3 September the Supreme Court of Belarus considered cassation complaint against the non-registration of the civil association Brestskaya Viasna by the Ministry of Justice. As said by a founder of the organization Uladzimir Vialichkin, ‘the trial ended up predictably. Nobody had any illusions about it. That’s why when the pronounced the verdict: ‘The verdict of Brest oblast court is to be left without changes and the complaint is to be turned down’, for is it witnessed only that we have exhausted the means of struggle for our civil rights on the national level and have only the possibility of applying to the UN Human Rights Committee left to us.’

04.09.2009 Relatives of missing oppositionists demand that Lukashenka not be let in Lithuania

The Lithuanian-Belarusian economic forum, which Lukashenka plans to attend, is to open on 16 September. This day Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped ten years ago.

04.09.2009 Vitsebsk: oppositionist tortured at police department

Vitsebsk opposition activist Aleh Surhan was tortured at the police department for a white-red-white flag.

04.09.2009 Minsk authorities banned picket dated to anniversary of disappearance of Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski

The United Civil Party office received a written notice about this on 3 September, RFE/RL reports.

03.09.2009 Distributors of Communist newspaper detained in Svetlahorsk

Today at 8 a.m. policemen and KGB men detained activists of the Communist party of Belarus Svyatlana Mikhalchanka and Valery Rybchanka.

Communists of Svetlahorsk were handing out leaflets and Tovarishch newspaper near the Khimvolokno enterprise, Radio Svaboda informs.

“We were taken to a police department,” Valery Rybchanka said. “And we were not told what we had violated. Now we are waiting for a police officer. No one from the policemen knows what to do with us”.

03.09.2009 Court turns down claim by For Freedom activist

Judge Iryna Smaliakova of Vitsebsk Regional Court has turned down a complaint by For Freedom activist Leanid Autukhou demanding a reversal of her verdict to fine the activist BYR 1,400,000 for participating in an Independence Day action on 27 July. Mr.Autukhou provided numerous evidence of his innocence. However, the judge ignored them, as well as certain procedural violations. The activist says he is going to appeal the decision at the UN Human Rights Committee.

02.09.2009 Brest Viasna may be registered

The Department of Justice of Brest Regional Executive Committee has postponed delivering judgment on the state registration of the Brest Viasna regional public association. The official letter received by the founders of Brest Viasna requests that the NGO provided the original of the letter of guarantee concerning the issue of its legal address and approve the amendments to the NGO’s Charter proposed by Brest Viasna at a general assembly within a month’s time, thus providing certain chance for the organization to obtain state registration.