The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2011

14.12.2011 Dziatlava: selling sweets to subscribe to state-owned press

Pupils of gymnasium #1 in Dziatlava organize school fairs twice a year. They sell there pastries, cakes and sweets they bake at home together with their parents.

14.12.2011 Vitsebsk: Siarhei Kavalenka pressurized by penal inspection

Siarhei Kavalenka, a member of the Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front punished with conditional imprisonment for hanging out a white-red-white flag on the main New Year tree of Vitsebsk, filed a number of appeals with the city procuracy. He complains about the restriction of his legal rights to work, rest and use the Belarusian language.

14.12.2011 Uladzislau Kavaliou files appeal for pardon

It was stated by Deputy General Prosecutor Aliaksei Stuk, reports interfax.by. Also, the General prosecution's representative stated that the convicts had not filed supervisory appeals yet.

14.12.2011 Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou must not be executed!

FIDH strongly condemns the death sentences imposed by the Supreme Court of Belarus on Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou.

13.12.2011 Babruisk activists compose their own “black lists”

Babruisk-based democratic activists ask the EU officials to extend the list of personae non-grata by supplementing it with the names of a number of Babruisk officials who directly participated in politically motivated reprisals.

13.12.2011 Belarusian authorities exceeded all moral limits in haunting of Zmitser Dashkevich and Andrei Sannikau

On 11 December 2011 a provocative report about prisoners of conscience, a former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau and the leader of the youth organization “Young Front” Dzmitry Dashkevich was shown in the Sunday issue of the TV program “In the Focus of Attention” on the state TV channel "Belarus-1".

13.12.2011 Forced subscription to state-owned press is practiced in Bialynichy district

Forced subscription to state-owned press is still practiced in the Bialynichy district of the Mahiliou region. In particular, kindergarteners and school teachers complain that officers of the education department of the Bialynichy District Executive Committee insistently “advise” them to subscribe to certain editions and promise trouble to those who refuses to do so.

13.12.2011 Brest: Hanna Kanius appeals against picket ban

Brest-based civil activist Hannia Kanius filed an appeal against a picket ban issued by the Brest authorities.

13.12.2011 Zmitser Dashkevich to be kept in solitary confinement till April

Human rights defender Anastasiya Loika voiced this information to RFE/RL with reference to Zmitser Dashkevich. “He has been kept in a one-man cell in the Hlybokaye colony for three months already. He had been repeatedly put into penal cells in the previous prisoners. Human rights defenders are concerned with threats to his life and health and demand that the authorities immediately stop all provocations against him and provide him with adequate life conditions,” commented Anastasiya Loika.

13.12.2011 Mikola Statkevich placed in penal cell

Mikalai Statkevich, presidential candidate who is serving six-year prison term, was placed in the penal cell of Shklou colony #17 for 5 days. The prisoner doesn’t rule out an extension of this term, as he is considered a “malignant violator” of the internal regulations of the colony.

13.12.2011 Post-graduate student expelled from National Academy of Sciences for attempt to exercise his rights

Mahiliou resident Aliaksei Paulouski was expelled from the post-graduate department of the Institute of Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences.

13.12.2011 Mother of death convict Uladzislau Kavaliou writes complaints

Liubou Kavaliova applied for permission to meet with her son after the end of the trial, according to which he and Dzmitry Kanavalau were found guilty of committing the terrorist act in the Minsk metro on 11 April and a number of other crimes. She wanted to tell Uladzislau that she didn't believe that he was guilty and express support to him, as she was given just 30 minutes for a talk with him on 2 December.

13.12.2011 Mikalai Autukhovich placed in prison cell

As we have learned today, the administration of the Ivatsevichy penal colony where political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich is serving his term has placed him into a prison cell for one month. Though the formal reasons remain unknown, we consider it as a continuation of the ongoing pressurization of political prisoners for their principled civil position.

13.12.2011 Brest: “Fair World” denied in registration of legal address

The Brest organization of the Belarusian Leftist Party “Fair World” was again denied in registering its legal address with the Brest City Executive Committee.

13.12.2011 Belarusian State TV continues denigration of Dashkevich and Sannikau

An activist of human rights organization “Platform” Yury Chyhileichyk was shown in a program on the Belarusian state TV. He tells that Sannikau had problems in the colony because of Dashkevich. And a BT worker (an off-screen voice) has gone go to even greater lengths and expanded that idea, “Nasha Niva” writes.