The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2011

04.07.2011 Belarus: chronicle of silent revolution (updated)

According to human rights defenders, about 310 people were detained in different parts of Belarus on 3 July, 160 of them – in Minsk alone. 5 people were detained in Baranavichy, about 30 – in Homel, about 80 – in Hrodna, 15 – in Mahiliou, 6 – in Smaliavichy, 7 – in Vitsebsk, 2 – in Zhlobin.

04.07.2011 Stanislau Shushkevich and 15 EHU students detained on Belarusian border

On 2 July evening the politician Stanislau Shushkevich and 15 students of the European Humanities University set down the train Vilnius-Minsk on the Belarusian border. The detainees were kept on the border for six hours.

04.07.2011 Hrodna: detention of journalist Ihar Bantsar

Ihar Bantsar, a journalist and activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus, was detained on 3 July morning near his house. He managed to phone somebody and tell that most probably he would be tried for the unauthorized picket he had held on 28 June, during the trial of another journalist and UPB activist, Andrei Pachobut.

04.07.2011 Brest: intimidation and arrests, too

Brest police warned the mother of a civil activist Siarhei Aleksievich about the inadmissibility of his participation in the silent protest action. Two policemen came to the Aleksievichs' apartment at about 12.30 a.m. on 1 July. One of them was in uniform, the other – in plain clothes.

04.07.2011 Mahiliou: intimidation and arrests

Unidentified persons threatened opposition activists and journalists with “responsibility” for participation in the silent action of protest Revolution Through Social Networks.

04.07.2011 Head of Rahachou Belarusian Christian Democracy sentenced to 5 days in jail

On 1 July Dzianis Dashkevich, the head of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy in the town of Rahachou, was sentenced to 5 days of jail.

04.07.2011 Preventive detentions in Homel

On 1 July in Homel Andrei Tsianiuta, head of the Homel branch of the Young Front, was detained in the yard of his house and put in jail. Two more activists, Pavel Pryvalau and Ruslan Ustsimenka, were detained as well. Pryvalau is charged with disorderly conduct.

01.07.2011 Mazyr: detention of Bulgarian and US journalists

The famous Bulgarian journalist, poet and translator Dimiter Kenarov was wrongly detained by the police in Mazyr on 29 June. The popular networking site Facebook developed an open community where information is gathered about his arrest.

01.07.2011 Trials of participants of silent protest actions in different parts of Belarus

Some of the detained participants of the silent protest action held on 29 June in Minsk have been given charges and are being tried.

01.07.2011 Belarus Rounds up Silent Protesters

Belarusian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release anyone being held merely for taking part in peaceful “silent” protests, Amnesty International said today after hundreds were arrested around the country yesterday.

01.07.2011 Brest: trials of participants of 29 June silent protest action

On 30 June Vasiliuk, a judge of the Leninski District Court of Brest, considered the cases against 8 participants of the protest action of 29 June.

01.07.2011 About 130 participants of silent protest actions were given charges

The police state that participants of the silent protest action “loudly cried out obscenities addressed to the police”. According to the police the action in Minsk gathered about 350 people, whereas human rights defenders believe there were about 1,5 thousand people. 269 people were guarded to police stations all over Belarus. 130 of them were charged with disorderly conduct, insubordination to the police or participation in the unauthorized protests.

01.07.2011 Young Front activist summonsed to tax inspection

During the last search at his apartment a Young Front activist Yul'yan Misiukevich presented a book of his poems to the KGB investigator who headed the search brigade. The book had been published at his own expense back in 2009 and had the circulation of just 150 copies.

01.07.2011 Brest: KGB violates right to privacy

Uladzimir Katrych from Brest, a coordinator of the Perspective entrepreneurs’ association, reported about iniquitous behavior of local KGB officers.