23.05.2012 Supreme Court refuses to consider BCD complaint

The Supreme Court will not consider a complaint lodged by the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, says an official reply received by the BCD secretary Dzianis Sadouski.

23.05.2012 Court upholds oil refinery worker`s suit against Ivashkevich

A judge of Minsk’s Savetski District Court upheld Tuesday a lawsuit filed by an employee of Mazyr Oil Refinery against opposition politician Viktar Ivashkevich for his campaign for the European Union’s ban on Belarusian petroleum products.

23.05.2012 Homel pro-dem activist appeals fine at UN Human Rights Committee

Homel opposition activist Uladzimir Niapomniashchykh has submitted an individual complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee against a fine received by the activist for alleged violation of peaceful assembly restriction in 2011.

23.05.2012 Supreme Court turns down complaint against forced fingerprinting

Hrodna resident Ruslan Piatsko has received an official reply from the Supreme Court, saying that his appeal against a fine for refusing forced fingerprinting was dismissed.

23.05.2012 Hrodna authorities ban pickets in support of Polish minority school

Hrodna city executive officials have banned the holding of a series of pickets in support of retaining Polish-language education at a local secondary school attended by representatives of the city’s Polish minority.

23.05.2012 Minks police detain Belsat TV crew

A crew of the Poland-based Belsat independent TV channel has been detained by Minsk police this afternoon, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, quoting Belsat’s spokeperson Mikhas Yanchuk.

23.05.2012 Court officials distrain property at Ales Bialiatski’s country house

Court officials have distrained the property at Ales Bialiatski’s country house in the town of Rakau, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, quoting the activist’s wife Natallia Pinchuk.

22.05.2012 Baranavichy authorities block registration of Ukrainian minority NGO

It is two years since Baranavichy activist Mikalai Charnavus started applying for the registration of a local Ukrainian minority NGO “Kobzar”. His latest visit to chairman of Brest regional executive committee Kanstantsin Sumar was not optimistic, as the high official said the NGO could only be registered after 15 mln rubles were donated to the city budget.

22.05.2012 Arrested Mikalai Dzemidzenka taken to hospital

Young Front activist Mikalai Dzemidzenka has been guarded from a detention centre to hospital No. 9.

22.05.2012 Amnesty International’s position on the case of Syarhei Kavalenka

Over the course of the last few days, a number of individuals and organizations, including the MEP Henryk Migalski, have called on Amnesty International to recognise Syarhei Kavalenka as a prisoner of conscience. This statement explains why Amnesty International has not been able to do so.

22.05.2012 Mahiliou Youth Center still harassed by tax inspection

Mahiliou-based Youth Center is once again target of harassment, as local tax inspection claims the NGO has failed to submit an income declaration.

22.05.2012 Minsk activist appeals fine for resisting forced fingerprinting

Ruslan Nevar has lodged a complaint against a decision by Minsk City Court which upheld a 4 mln fine of 6 April 2012 ordered by Kastrychnitski District Court for refusing to undergo forced fingerprinting.

21.05.2012 Viasna launches campaign to monitor penal system

All information concerning the analysis of penal law and penal system monitoring will be published in a thematic section on the website of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

The section’s expert is lawyer Pavel Sapelka.

Here is an article by Pavel Sapelka, dealing with the urgency of the issue of human rights violations against people in custody, those serving sentences and held in other institutions.

21.05.2012 Vitsebsk police detain pregnant journalist

Vitsebsk police keep harassing the staff of local independent newspaper Vitsebski Kurier, as the weekly’s reporter Yulia Kanapliova was detained by road police on 20 May.

21.05.2012 Baranavichy human rights defender urges MPs to humanize penal legislation

Mrs. Anzhalika Kambalava, member of Baranavichy office of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, has sent an open letter to chairman of the House of Representatives’ Legislation Commission Mikalai Samaseika, together with MPs Sviatlana Pishch and Anatol Vankovich, suggesting humanization of the country’s penal legislation.