02.09.2009 More detentions in Brest

The 9 activists of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) detained for participating in a memorial action marking the 70th anniversary of WWII on 1 September in Brest have been released without charge, the BelaPAN news agency reports. ‘I am deeply ashamed that this country which has suffered from the WWII so much keeps harassing activists who revere the memory of its victims,’ says one of the detainees Hanna Kanius. She also said that similar actions were held on 1 September across Brest Region.

02.09.2009 Brest activist arrested for distributing HR newsletter

On 30 August Brest police detained activist Ivan Stasiuk as he was distributing copies of the ‘Human Rights’ newsletter. The newsletters were later seized after the activist had been taken to Brest Maskouski police department. As a result, he was warned that the newsletters would be submitted for an expert examination and released without charge. The action marking the International Day of the Disappeared was organized by the Young Front youth organization.

02.09.2009 In coming months authorities to answer for Krasouski’s disappearance

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has offered Belarus a deadline for preparing an answer to the suit of the family of disappeared Anatol Krasouski.

The suit was filed to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances on November 16, 2008, and the date for answer was initially set for May 16, 2009. However, the mission of Belarus to the UN demanded to offer a copy of the suit and additional documents in Russian (the original is in English), and the term was cancelled, Radio Svaboda informs.

02.09.2009 Oppositionists continued to be sacked on political grounds

An activist of “Young Belarus” Kasya Halitskaya has been sacked after a representative of Belarusian secret services visited her office.

Kasya Halitskaya told that a KGB colonel recently visited the office of the company and made her boss sack her, Radio Svaboda informs.

Kasya Halitskaya works for a foreign company which sells equipment.

Earlier Halitskaya had problems in her university because of her political activities. Kasya Halitskaya. Who was a Young Front activist then, was fired twice on political grounds. The young activist many times was serving arrests in the prison in Akrestsin Street for her participation in street protests.

01.09.2009 Well-known public figures address world leaders concerning unlawful imprisonment of Vaukavysk entrepreneurs

Well-known public and political activists of Belarus have addressed the world leaders with the request to foster the independent legal expertise of the criminal case that was brought against Mikalai Autukhovich, Yyry Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka. The text of the address was submitted to the heads of the EU countries, the EU president, the Swedish speaker Frederick Reifeldt, the president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the US president Barack Obama and the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

01.09.2009 Prosecutor general gives runaround to address of missing politicians’ relatives

On 17 August Zinaida Hanchar (wife of oppositional politician and vice-speaker Viktar Hanchar, kidnapped in September 1999), Volha Zavadskaya (mother of kidnapped cameraman of ORT TV channel Dzmitry Zavadski) and Uliana Zakharanka (mother of kidnapped ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka) addressed the Prosecutor General’s office with the demand that by 16 September the Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich reported to the public about the results of the investigation into the disappearances.