The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2011

09.08.2011 Case of new accused of 19 December “mass riot” passed to court

Sviataslau Baranovich has been kept in the pre-trial prison #1 in Valadarski Street in Minsk since 15 June. The investigation into his case is over. Soon he will be familiarized with the materials of his case. The Minsk City Court also has to decide which of the district courts of the Minsk will try the case.

09.08.2011 Mikalai Statkevich confirmed fact of tortures in KGB prison

A former presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich was interrogated in the case of investigation of torture facts in the KGB remand prison. The interrogation was held by the Military Prosecutor’s Office in Shklou penal colony, where Mr. Statkevich serves his term. RFE/RL has been informed about that by the wife of the political prisoner Maryna Adamovich.

Statement of Markus Löning, German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy, concerning detention of Ales Bialiatski

09.08.2011 Statement of Markus Löning, German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy, concerning detention of Ales Bialiatski

“The German Government demands that human rights activist Ales Bialiatski be set free immediately. This action is evidently intended to forcibly silence a committed representative of Belarusian civil society. The German Government condemns this abuse of the criminal code for political goals in the strongest possible terms.

09.08.2011 Offence of authorities on human rights organizations is a challenge for Belarusian human rights community

Assembly of Democratic Non-Governmental Organizations of Belarus notes with concern the intensification of the offensive on the human rights community of the country by the authorities. Arrest and prosecution of Ales Bialiatski, leader of the Human Rights Center Viasna, is a demonstrative action which seeks to intimidate and destroy the Belarusian human rights movement.

08.08.2011 Let us send letters of support to Ales Bialiatski!

The human rights defender will be kept in custody at least till 14 August evening. The time in the pre-trial prison runs very slowly and turns into an examination by uncertainty. He passed greetings to all of us before going to the prison and called us to stay brave and cheerful. Friends, let’s support Ales by sending him good words these days!

08.08.2011 Belarusian human rights defenders start campaign on bailing out Mr. Bialiatski

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) has issued an appeal calling on sympathizers to apply for the release of human rights defender Ales Bialiatski against their guarantee that he would not flee from prosecution or obstruct the investigation or engage in criminal activities.

Foreign diplomats express support to <em>Viasna</em>

08.08.2011 Foreign diplomats express support to Viasna

On 5 August Michael Scanlan, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the United States in Belarus, and Christopher Panico, First Secretary of The U.S. Embassy in Minsk, visited Minsk office of the Human Rights Center Viasna in connection with the arrest of Ales Bialiatski.

08.08.2011 Human Rights House Foundation calls for immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski

On 4 August 2011, Ales Bialiatski, Chair of the Human Rights Center Viasna in Belarus, was detained in Minsk. We see his detention as a direct result of Ales Bialiatski’s legitimate activities in defense of human rights in Belarus. The framework of the criminal case against Ales Bialiatski is instigated under Article 243, part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, for “concealment of profits on an especially large scale”. This article envisages up to 7 years of imprisonment with the confiscation of property.

08.08.2011 Libereco demands release of Human Rights Defender Ales Bialiatski

Belarusian Human Rights Defender Ales Bialiatski was detained on 4 August 2011 in Minsk. Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights is calling for his immediate und unconditional release. The human rights organisation started an action „We all are Ales“ on facebook and calls on the international and Belarusian public to express their solidarity with the imprisonned human rights defender by supporting this facebook page and sending appeals to President Lukashenko.

08.08.2011 Narodnaya Volia fined about $2,800

On 8 August the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus fined opposition newspaper Narodnaya Volia 400 basic units, or Br14 million rubles ($2.8 thousand) for multiple violations of law during the year. The edition is not going to appeal the verdict.

08.08.2011 PACE Rapporteur on Belarus urges Belarusian authorities to stop harassment and intimidation towards civil society

Strasbourg, 08.08.2011 - Following last week's arrest of Ales Bialiatski, head of the NGO Viasna and Vice-President of the International Human Rights Federation, on charges of “tax evasion”, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), the rapporteur on Belarus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has urged the authorities in Belarus to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr Bialiatski and to put an end to all forms of harassment against him and other human rights defenders in the country.

08.08.2011 CIVICUS Urges Immediate Release of Belarusian Human Rights Defender, Aliaksandr Bialiatski

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation strongly condemns the arrest of Aliaksandr (Ales) Bialiatski, prominent Belarusian human rights defender, vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and head of the Minsk-based human rights centre Viasna.

08.08.2011 U.S. Embassy in Belarus condemns the detention of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski

The August 4 detention of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski is extremely troubling and represents another, unfortunate sign of Belarus’ self-isolation and further deviation from European standards and principles. In democratic societies, independent NGOs like Viasna – who the government continues to refuse to register – play a crucial role in the all important system of checks and balances. Recognizing this, societies pass laws creating conditions for the “third sector” to function and flourish. They do not try to marginalize civil society by denying registration and harassing and detaining NGO members.

08.08.2011 Östgruppen demands immediate release of Ales Bialiatski

The Swedish human rights organization Östgruppen demands the immediate release of the Chairperson of the Human Rights Center Viasna Ales Bialiatski.

08.08.2011 Secretariat of Union of Belarus Writers demands immediate release of Ales Bialiatski

Secretariat of the Union of Belarusian Writers' expresses a deep concern with the fate of a famous literary critic, writer and human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, detained on 4 August by officers of the Department of Financial Investigations of the Republic of Belarus. We believe that the arrest of the member of our organization Ales Bialiatski is politically motivated and is connected to his human rights activities. We strongly demand the immediate release of Ales Bialiatski from custody and termination of criminal proceedings against him.