The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2011

14.07.2011 Journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich tells about circumstances of his detention

"I saw two policemen among the detained in the police bus. The people in the bus also thought that they were detainees. They asked them: “What have you been detained for?” And they joked: “Oh! We went out to drink some beer – and we got detained”. They lied to those people. It turned out that they were [policemen when we reached the police office. They are placed in police buses to prevent people from escaping if necessary. They were doing their job”

14.07.2011 Letters of political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich don’t reach Minsk

Letters of presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich from a penal colony in Shklou do not reach Minsk.

14.07.2011 Zmitser Dashekvich becomes “malicious troublemaker”

According to unofficial information, Zmitser Dashkevich has been disciplined twice. It is enough to become “malicious troublemaker”. He was put in the punishment cell for the first infringement. His second punishment is unknown at the moment.

14.07.2011 Chronicle of 13 July protests in Minsk: people are sentenced to arrest

Policemen and people in mufti controlled the main places of gathering of protesters: the supermarkets Eurapeiski, Ryha, Chkalauski, Belarus, Karona and Niamiha. The Belarusian Internet providers temporary blocked the access to the social network Vkontakte all over Belarus.

14.07.2011 13 July silent protests in Belarusian regions

The format of the silent protest actions was changed (their participants were advised not to clap their hands, just to walk silently and set the alarm clock of their mobile phones to 8 p.m. to mark the end of the action). However, the places of gathering remained the same, which gave the law machinery the opportunity to prepare to them. The central squares of many Belarusian towns were fenced with iron tourniquets or blocked by the police.

14.07.2011 Navapolatsk: 6-year-old boy detained together with his father

On 13 July in the evening Aliaksandr Hrudnitski walked with his six-year-old son Yauhen in the park near the square where participants of the silent protest action gathered. After the end of the action, when the people started going away, the police started seizing some of them. Aliaksandr noticed it and wanted to come to their defense. As a result, he was pushed into a paddy wagon and taken to the Polatsk District Police Department together with his son.

14.07.2011 Vileika: Dzmitry Kaptsiuh sentenced to 7 days of arrest

On 13 July the third court hearing on the case of Dzmitry Kaptsiuh took place in the Vileika District Court. Judge A.Artsimovich sentenced him to 7 days of arrest for participation in the silent protest action on 6 July.

14.07.2011 Vitsebsk: Zmitser Litvin dismissed from BelWest plant because of participation in silent protests

According to Tatsiana Seviarynets, the coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Party in the Vitsebsk region, the member of the committee Zmitser Litvin was dismissed from the footwear plant BelWest because of his talks with fellow workers and invitations to join the silent protests actions that are held in Belarus on Wednesdays.

13.07.2011 Mother of detained boy denied right to appeal detention of her small son

Volha Chaichyts received an answer to her complaint to the procuracy concerning the detention of her 1,5-year-old boy. Strangely enough, the answer came from the court.

13.07.2011 Journalists address Prosecutor General and Interior Minister

On 13 July in the morning journalists went to the General Procuracy of Belarus in order to pass their address to its head, Ryhor Vasilevich.

13.07.2011 Looking for relatives at police departments is a crime

Aliaksandr Kuushynau was detained on Pryvakzalnaya Square during the silent protest action of 3 July. His mother, Tatsiana Kuushynava, went to the Maskouski District Police Department in order to find about the fate of her son. However, she wasn't allowed to enter the DPD.

13.07.2011 Hrodna: fine to journalist Hrazhyna Shalkevich

On 13 July the Leninski District Court of Hrodna fined Hrazhyna Shalkevich, a journalist for Radio Racyja, 1,050,000 rubles for alleged participation in the silent protest action of 6 July.

13.07.2011 Journalist of Belorusy i Rynok summonsed to KGB

On 13 July morning a KGB officer phoned to Ihar Illiash, a journalist for the private socio-political newspaper Belorusy i Rynok, and told him to come to the KGB at 2 p.m.

13.07.2011 Ales Bialiatski proposes Minsk City Court to declare Article 193.1 of the Criminal Code unconstitutional

Ales Bialiatski, Chair of the Human Rights Center Viasna, expressed this proposal in the cassation appeal against the verdict of the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk of 20 June 2011, according to which the official warning issued to him by the General Procuracy of Belarus was left. in force.