The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 31 Jul 2012

31.07.2012 Support Ales Bialiatski on 4 August!

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” is calling on its colleagues, representatives of international and Belarusian human rights organizations to arrange actions of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), who was arrested on August 4, 2011 and later sentenced to four and a half years of imprisonment for his human rights activities.

31.07.2012 Orsha court drops charges against Yanina Liasneuskaya

Judge Inna Kokhava of Orsha Town Court has ruled to dismiss a lawsuit lodged against Yanina Liasneuskaya, activist of the Nash Dom civil campaign, for alleged propaganda of violence and cruelty.

31.07.2012 Patients of Homel hospital forced to support pro-government candidate

Members of the initiative group of Hanna Lapatsina, head doctor of Homel-based cardiologic dispensary who is running for Parliament in constituency No. 37, have reportedly forced the clinic’s patients to support the pro-government candidate’s nomination, says independent candidate Halina Krauchanka.

31.07.2012 Authorities ban pickets in support of Bialiatski across Belarus

The executive authorities of a number of towns and cities, including Hrodna, Babruisk, Smarhon and Brest, across the country have banned pickets of solidarity with imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski arranged to demand his release one year after his arrest on 4 August 2011.

31.07.2012 Opposition activist Pashkevich facing warning against early electioneering

Mikhail Pashkevich, a member of the “Tell the Truth!” movement who intends to run in September’s House of Representatives elections in Minsk, is facing a warning against early electioneering.

31.07.2012 OSCE/ODIHR to deploy 40 long-term observers, 270 short-term observers for Belarus’ parliamentary elections

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) plans to send 40 long-term observers and 270 short-term observers to monitor Belarus’ forthcoming parliamentary elections, Mikalay Lazavik, secretary of the central election commission, told BelaPAN on Tuesday, referring to a report from an ODIHR needs assessment mission that stayed in the country between July 16 and July 18.

31.07.2012 Prison administration refuses to change Statkevich`s custody status to less restrictive

The administration of Mahilyow Prison No. 4 has rejected Mikalay Statekevich’s appeal to change his custody status to less restrictive, Maryna Adamovich, the wife of the 55-year-old former presidential candidate, told BelaPAN on Tuesday, referring to a recent letter from her husband.

31.07.2012 Pavel Sapelka finds no propaganda of violence and cruelty in Yanina Liasneuskaya’s actions

Commenting on the administrative charges brought against Yanina Liasneuskaya for alleged dissemination of works that propagandize violence and cruelty, human rights lawyer Pavel Sapelka notes that the actions of the resident of Orsha have no signs of an administrative offence under Art. 17.8 of the Code on Administrative Offences.

31.07.2012 Mahiliou observer appeals denial of access to sitting of election commission

Mahiliou observer Natallia Samakhvalava, representing the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, has lodged a complaint with the Central Election Commission, appealing an incident when she was not allowed attending the sitting of constituency election commission No. 86.

31.07.2012 Babruisk canvasser appeals violations

Valiantsina Hlukhava, Babruisk activist of the Tell the Truth civil campaign has lodged a complaint with local constituency election commission, the Prosecutor’s Office of Pershamaiski district and the Central Election Commission, after she faced a number of obstacles while collecting signatures for the campaign’s candidate Aksana Samuilava in the town’s hostels.

31.07.2012 Another picket banned in Vitsebsk

The administration of Vitsebsk Kastrychnitski district has nammed a picket applied for by local pro-democratic activists who were expected to demand the release of imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski on 4 August, a year after the prominent human rights defender was arrested.