The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for May 2010

09.05.2010 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in April 2010

The local council election was the main event in April. According to information of Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, 21,293 deputies were elected to local councils on 25 April. Among them there were nine representatives of democratic opposition, including 3 members of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, 5 members of the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World and 1 member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada.

09.05.2010 Fines for action in memory of Zakharanka

A street action dated to the 11th anniversary of the abduction of Yury Zakharanka, a former Interior Minister and opposition politician, was held by members of the United Civil Party at 3 p.m. on 7 May.

09.05.2010 Brest: detentions for action in memory of Yury Zakharanka

On 7 May, the Brest human rights defenders Raman Kisliak and Andrei Sharenda were detained for handing out the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The action was dated to the 11th anniversary of the abduction of Yury Zakharanka, a former Interior Minister and opposition politician.

07.05.2010 Kazulin to be tried for using obscene language near Supreme Court

Well-known politician Aliaksandr Kazulin, detained yesterday near the Supreme Court, will stand trial for alleged usage of obscene language there. The trial is scheduled for 11 a.m. on 12 May at the Leninski District Court of Minsk.

07.05.2010 Vitsebsk activist Siarhei Kavalenka detained

The official reason for the detention is violation of the traffic rules. On 6 May Kavalenka was detained for having crossed the road in a wrong place. However, when he offered to pay a fine, he was guarded to the police station. There the police drew a report for alleged use of obscene language towards the policemen who detained him.

07.05.2010 Convicts on Autukhovich’s case comment on the verdict

The political prisoners, who stood trial in Minsk 6 on May, say the case against them was fabricated. Human rights activists call on high officials to resign.

06.05.2010 Detentions after announcement of verdict on criminal case against Autukhovich

Five people were detained near the building of the Supreme Court after the announcement of the verdict on the criminal case against Mikalai Autukhovich and other ‘terrorists’.

06.05.2010 Trial of Autukhovich and other ‘terrorists’

The Supreme Court declared the verdict on the criminal case against Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimir Asipenka, Mikhail Kazlou and Aliaksandr Laryn, who were charged with preparation of a terrorist act and other grave crimes.

06.05.2010 ’Young Front’ appeals registration denial at Supreme Court

The international youth organization Young Front that possesses an official registration in Czech, has lodged a lawsuit with the Supreme Court against the refusal of the Belarusian Ministry of Justice to register it with the state. As said by its leader Zmitser Dashkevich, the founders of the organization draw the attention of the court to the discriminative nature of the registration denial, its biasness and the existence of the ‘presumption of guilt’ towards activists of the Young Front.

06.05.2010 Distribution of ’Vitebskiy Kuryer’ in Belarus is still banned

The private Unitarian trading enterprise Vitebskiy Korund was left without a license for distribution of periodicals. On 6 May, the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus left standing the verdicts of the Vitsebsk Regional Economic Courrt and the cassation instances and eo ipso upheld the license denial.

06.05.2010 Law ‘On Amnesty’ adopted in the first reading

The deputies of the Chamber of Representatives unanimously adopted at the sitting on 6 May the law On amnesty in connection with the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the World War II of 1941-1945.

06.05.2010 Viktar Ramniou again fined for ‘Vitebskiy Kuryer’

Valiantsina Kismiaroshkina, Judge of the Pershamaiski District Court of Vitsebsk, fined Viktar Ramniou, the founder of the Vitebskiy Kuryer newspaper, 1, 050 000 rubles (about $353) for trafficking 53 copies of the newspaper that had been found in his car by the police.

05.05.2010 Another recruitment attempt by security services

In the second half of April, a KGB officer who introduced himself as Aliaksandr, phoned to the TV cameraman Kanstantsin Zamirouski and invited him for a meeting. As far as the latter couldn’t guess about the reasons for the meeting, it happened in a building in Karl Marx Street.

05.05.2010 Complaint of Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs dismissed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Belarus declared the decision concerning the complaint of the Belarusian Assembly of pro-democratic NGOs against the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to register it. Predictably enough, the complaint wasn’t granted.

05.05.2010 Minsk authorities ban picket in memory of Yury Zakharanka

This time, the authorities motivated their denial in the following way: ‘holding of mass events is not allowed at the distance of less than 200 meters from pedestrian underpasses, metro stations’, ucpb.org informs.