The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2010

13.07.2010 Is Guy Francois Toukam being deported?

According to unconfirmed information, on 13 July afternoon people in the uniform of Belarusian border troops lead out of the delinquents’ isolation center in Akrestsin Street in Minsk a black man who resembled the Cameroonian citizen Guy Francois Toukam, goalkeeper of the Norwegian futsal club IOF.

13.07.2010 Grammar mistakes can hinder registration of websites

According to the BelTA information agency, more than 16,000 of websites passed the procedure of the state registration in Belarus.

13.07.2010 Siarhei Ustsinau: ‘We’ve got questions on Decree #60 and we’ll be asking them’

On 12 July, human rights defender Siarei Ustsinau lodged with the Leninski District Court of Minsk a claim against the Presidential Administration in connection with the enforcement of Decree #60. According to the activist, some provisions of this decree violate the right to privacy.

13.07.2010 Minsk authorities fear pillow fight

The Minsk city executive committee denied the registered organization Historyka in holding an action on occasion of the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.

13.07.2010 ‘Speak Truth’ passes to Minsk authorities signatures for naming a Minsk street in honor of Vasil Bykau

Officers of the Minsk city executive committee accepted 105,000 signatures in favor of renaming a Minsk street in honor of the well-known Belarusian writer.

12.07.2010 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in June 2010

On 8 June representatives of the Human Rights Center Viasna and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee held a press-conference to analyze the situation during the first six months of 2010. They stated the absence of positive changes concerning the respect of human rights along with the deterioration of the general situation due to the approach of the presidential election. What concerns the latest amendments to the Electoral Code, human rights defenders alleged that they had little influence on the latest local election, which didn't have significant differences from the previous ones.

12.07.2010 Girlfriend of arrested Cameroonian intends to come to Minsk to picket prison in Akrestsin Street

Spanish citizen Inmaculada Gonzales whose boyfriend, Cameroonian Guy Francois Toukam, was detained by the Belarusian border guards more than a month ago, is going to Minsk. She has been driven to such desperation by the inaction of the duty officials of different agencies that she seriously considers holding a picket near the prison in Akrestsin Street, where the goalkeeper of the Norwegian futsal club IOF is still kept.

12.07.2010 Vitsebsk: Siarhei Kavalenka in danger of imprisonment

A new criminal case can be instigated against the civil activist Siarhei Kavalenka for evasion from serving the three-year deferred sentence.

12.07.2010 Minsk authorities ban anti-corruption picket

According to Yury Karetnikau, the leader of the Right Alliance, the Minsk City Executive Committee dismissed the organization’s application for sanctioning an anti-corruption picket on Banhalor Square on 12 July.

12.07.2010 Polish MP not let in Belarus

Robert Tyszkiewicz, Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament on Foreign Relations, was going to Belarus as a member of a delegation invited by the disgraced Union of Poles in Belarus to celebrate an anniversary of Wostraja Brama, a military operation of Armia Krajowa for liberation of Vilnius from the Nazi troops during WWII.

12.07.2010 Circulation of ‘Volny Horad’ newspaper arrested by police

According to the editor, Siarhei Niarouny, the newspaper published a material about the scandalous film Godfather (about Aliaksandr Lukashenka) broadcast by the Russian NTV Channel. The journalist supposes this caused the arrest of the paper.

09.07.2010 Goalkeeper of Norwegian Football Club is still in Minsk jail

Inmaculada Gonzales, Spanish girlfriend of the Cameroonian Guy Francois Toukam (goalkeeper of the Norwegian football club IOF) informed the Human Rights Center Viasna that she had passed the money for paying his fine and the return ticket to Spain for him (as Mr. Toukam has a Spanish residence permit) through the Honorary Consul of Spain in Minsk. Bear in mind that the goalkeeper was detained at the Minsk-2 airport ahead of the football match on suspicion in forgery of the passport.

09.07.2010 Clear-up before ‘Slavonic Bazaar’: Kavalenka brothers detained in Vitsebsk

Siarhei Kavalenka, activist of the Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front was detained in the evening of 8 July. According to his mother, Lidziya Kavalenka, it happened at about 9 p.m. near his house.

09.07.2010 Belarusian border guards keep seizing laptops

A civil activist Veranika Lazouskaya told RFE/RL that the Belarusian border guards searched her belongings on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border saying they looked for forbidden information.

09.07.2010 Artur Finkevich hospitalized after assault

Artur Finkevich and Aliaksandr Lykshyn were going to the central office of the Belarusian Popular Front along Masherau Avenue in Minsk. Suddently, several people ran towards them, sprayed an unknown liquid in Artur's eyes and knocked him down.