The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for January 2010

13.01.2010 Biaroza: court dismissed lawsuit of human rights defenders

The Biaroza district court finished the trial of the lawsuit of the human rights defenders Vasil Azaranka and Siarzhuk Rusetski against the refusal of Biaroza district executive committee to authorize the picket dated to Human Rights Day, 10 December.

13.01.2010 Vitsebsk: Siarhei Kavalenka released from pre-trial prison

Yesterday evening Siarhei Kavalenka, activist of the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front arrested for hanging out a white-red-white flag on the main New Year Tree in Vitsebsk, was released from the pre-trial prison. He says that it was a surprise to him, as last Saturday the prosecutor’s office issued a ruling on keeping him in custody for two months.

12.01.2010 Vice-chairman of Supreme Economic Court gives no substantial answer to appeal of Protestant church

On 29 December New Life, a Church of the Religious Association of Communities of Full Evangel Christians, appealed against the verdict of the Supreme Economic Court of 13 January 2009 on dismissing its lawsuit against the Minsk city executive committee. In its appeal, addressed to Vasil Dzemidovich, first vice-chairman of the Supreme Economic Court, the church asked him to appeal against the SEC verdict in its Presidium, and solicited for suspension of implementation of the SEC ruling of 13 January and the ruling of the Economic Court of Minsk of 7 October 2009 on eviction of the church from the building in Kavaliou Street, 72.

12.01.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Human rights defenders deny hooliganism in actions of Siarhei Kavalenka

Representatives of the Human Rights Center Viasna blankly disagree with bringing a criminal case against Siarhei Kavalenka and consider it to be politically motivated persecution.

12.01.2010 Human Rights Center Viasna demands that criminal case against Ivan Mikhailau be dropped

The civil right to alternative service ensues from Article 57 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. This article provides that the defense of the Republic of Belarus is a sacred duty of a Belarusian citizen. The order of the military service, the reasons and the conditions of its replacement with alternative service are determined by the law.

12.01.2010 Ministry of Justice doesn’t register ‘Young Belarus’

The Ministry of Justice refused to register the Young Belarus movement. It was stated by one of the leaders of the movement Zmitser Kaspiarovich.

12.01.2010 Vitsebsk: Barys Khamaida detained again

Barys Khamaida, distributor of private socio-political press editions, was detained once again near the so-called ‘blue house’ in Lenin Street,27, where he usually distributes Nasha Niva, ARCHE and other editions.

12.01.2010 Ivan Mikhailau faces 6 month arrest instead of alternative service

21-year-old Ivan Mikhailau is charged with draft evasion. The young man pleads innocent.

12.01.2010 Kavalenka’s relatives are worried about his health

Siarhei Kavalenka’s mother Lidziya Kavalenka works as a street sweeper. She was in Peramohi Square in Vitsebsk when the white-red-white flag appeared on the tree. As RFE/RL informs, the woman is greatly worried that police would beat and humiliate her son.

12.01.2010 Another activist detained in Vitsebsk

Democratic activist Filip Shaurou was detained by the riot police on Monday. At about 12:25 a.m. policemen came up to activist Filip Shaurou at a central bus station and said he answered the description of a person who had committed a crime and asked to follow them. The detained was guarded to the Chyhunachny district police department of Vitsebsk.

12.01.2010 Authorities disrupt round table on unlawful Internet restrictions

The Belarusian Language Society (BLS) named after Francysk Skaryna received a warning of the Ministry of Justice saying that discussion of draft decrees of Lukashenka contradicts to the organization’s charter.

11.01.2010 ’Reporters Without Borders’ is worried about the government’s plans to tighten control of the Internet

Reporters Without Borders is worried about the government’s plans to tighten control of the Internet in a country where free expression is already restricted. President Alexander Lukashenko acknowledged on 30 December that his government is putting the final touches to a bill to this effect. The draft decree was leaked to the media on December 14, 2009. The discussions around it remain secret.

11.01.2010 Navahradak: Yury Kazak fined 8,7 million rubles

On 11 January Valer Tsynkevich, judge of Navahradak district court, issued a verdict to the activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Yury Kazak. The activist was fined 8,750 000 rubles (an equivalent of $3,089) for spilling green paint on the local monument to Lenin.

11.01.2010 Police deny abduction of Zmitser Dashkevich

Police and prosecutor’s office paid no reaction to the complaint of the Young Front chairman Zmitser Dashkevich about his abduction and taking out to a forest on 4 December.

11.01.2010 Vitsebsk: activist of ‘Young Belarus’ Taras Surhan detained

Taras Surhan was detained on 9 January when he left his apartment with his future wife to take out the trash. ‘As I threw the rubbish into the waste bin, the unknown in mufti ran from behind, forced me into the car and took me away. Then I was placed in another car, with policemen, and taken to the police department of Chyhunachny district of Vitsebsk,’ Surhan said.