The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2009

07.12.2009 Minsk: trade union picket in Banhalor square banned

Minsk city executive committee turned down the application of the trade union of radio electronic industry (REI) for authorizing a picket in Banhalor Square on 10 December, said the REI activist Mikalai Herasimenka.

07.12.2009 Office of Prosecutor General received wrong punishment

About 1 500 people were drawn to administrative responsibility in the wrong way. This is the official information of the General Prosecutor’s office for nine months of 2009.

07.12.2009 Zhodzina: picket for protection of right to learn in mother-tongue

Zhodzina human rights defenders Aliaksei and Sviatlana Lapitskis applied to the local executive committee for authorization of a picket dated to the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, they have little hope that their action will be permitted.

07.12.2009 Homel: authorities ban human rights picket

Homel human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka and member of the BPF Party Anatol Paplauny have applied to Homel city executive committee for the authorization of the picket dated to the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

07.12.2009 Detention for blue ribbons

Activist of the civil campaign European Belarus Stefan Korf was detained by police patrol near Kuntsaushchyna metro station.

07.12.2009 Youth leaders Dashkevich and Afnahel kidnapped by unidentified persons

Zmitser Dashkevich, Young Front leader, was seized by unknown persons in mufti when he was opening the doors of his apartment.

04.12.2009 Journalist Maryna Koktysh still can’t get accredited at Chamber of Representatives

The Supreme Court turned down the complaint of the chief editor of the Narodnaya Volia newspaper Iosif Siaredzich and its journalist Maryna Koktysh against the verdict of the court of the first instance that refused to bring civil proceedings concerning the refusal of the Chamber of Representatives to issue accreditation to the latter. ‘As long as the question of journalist accreditation is beyond the competence of the court and the legislation of the Republic of Belarus does not provide consideration of complaints against accreditation denials by court, the judge reasonably refused to bring proceedings’, reads the letter of 30 November, signed by the deputy head of the Supreme Court A.Fedartsou.

04.12.2009 Biaroza authoritites ban human rights picket

Biaroza district executive committee prohibited the civil activists Tamara Shchapiotkina and Siarhei Rusetski to hold a picket on 13 December.

04.12.2009 Detained for handing out entrepreneurs’ bulletin

The guards of Minsk market Malinauka detained the activist of the entrepreneur movement Pavel Yalovik for handing out the entrepreneurs’ informational bulletin. She was guarded to the office of the market director. Then the guards called the police. They said that it was prohibited to distribute any press at the market.

04.12.2009 Nastassia Mashchava fined for taking photos of performance

The Young Belarus activist Nastassia Mashchava was fined 1 050 000 rubles by the Zavadski district court of Minsk.

04.12.2009 ‘Young Front’ activist Ivan Shyla unexpectedly released from army

The leader of the Young Front branch in Salihorsk, forcefully drafted into the army, has been exempt from military service on decision of the Central Military Medical Board. Ivan Shyla left the military unit in the village of Mezhytsa at 5 p.m. on 3 December. As the website saligorsk.org notes, the youth activist has been transferred to the army reserves.

04.12.2009 Authorities demolish art studio of Yury Miahki for his protest against cut-down of park trees

Dwellers of the village of Slaveni are collecting signatures under a collective letter which will be sent to the district newspaper Nasha Talachynshchyna. They demand to review the decision of the district culture department on demolition of the building where artist Yury Myahki has a studio and teach village children painting and carving.

04.12.2009 ‘Young Front’ press-secretary got expelled from Belarusian State University

On 3 December 3 the Young Front press-secretary Tatsiana Shaputska was expelled from the faculty of law of the Belarusian State University for her participation in the Civil Society Forum of Eastern Partnership in Brussels on 16-17 November.

04.12.2009 ‘European Belarus’ activist demands investigation of his abduction

Uladzimir Lemesh has lodged a complaint to the Prosecutor’s office of the Tsentralny district of Minsk, requiring procuracy check in connection with his abduction by the police on 27 November.

04.12.2009 Activist of Belarusian Christian Democracy dismissed from job

Recently a press-conference of co-chairmen of the organising committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party (BCD) Aliaksei Shein, Vital Rymasheuski and Heorhi Dzmitruk has taken place held. They stated that crackdown on founders of the party had become unprecedented and systematic, BelaPAN informs.