The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2012

13.07.2012 Political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich put into penal cell

Former presidential candidate has been kept in a disciplinary cell since 6 July, serving punishment for an offense.

13.07.2012 KGB searches home of photographer of “Swedish teddy bears”

Security services officers are figuring out from where a journalist has photos of teddy bears. Editor of the website bnp.by Anton Surapin managed to say KGB officers came to him to carry out a search. They want to find out from where the photographer has photos of “Swedish teddy bears”.

12.07.2012 Minsk City Court considers Bialiatski's appeal against a new fine

On12 April the Minsk City Court considers the appeal of the imprisoned head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski against the verdict of the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk according to which he was sentenced to pay 140 million rubles of fine for an untimely payment of taxes.

12.07.2012 Minsk: police confiscate car from potential candidate for Parliament

At about 6.30 p.m. officers of the Mahiliou City Road Police Department stopped the car of the coordinator of the “Speak the Truth!” civil initiative in the Mahiliou region Aksana Samuilava. The alleged reason was that she hadn't let a passer-by cross the street at a pedestrian crossing.

12.07.2012 Salihorsk: former colonel continues struggle against arbitrary detentions

Retired colonel of the Salihorsk police Viktar Malochka continues appealing against his arbitrary detentions during the last year's silent protest actions in Salihorsk.

12.07.2012 Mikalai Autukhovich: “No one can intimidate me”

The politician writes cheerful letters, says he is ready to anything and is not going to change his views.

12.07.2012 Dziarzhynsk: persecution of traffickers of bulletin “For Free Elections”

On 11 July Hrodna activists of the Belarusian Leftist Party “Fair World” Viktar Mikhalchyk and Pavel Staneuski were carrying copies of the bulletin “For Free Elections” in their car. On the territory of the Dziarzhynsk district their car was overtaken by a road police patrol.

12.07.2012 Truant member of pro-governmental party included in Rechytsa Constituency Election Commission again

During the previous parliamentary elections a member of the National Party of Labor and Justice Yury Zhurau didn't come to any sittings of the constituency election commission despite being its member. However, he has been included in the commission during the present election campaign, too.

12.07.2012 Political prisoner Ihar Alinevich declared “malignant violator”

The activist of the anarchist movement, who is serving his sentence in the Navapolatsk colony, wrote it in a letter to his mother.

12.07.2012 Viktar Karniayenka not let out of Belarus

Viktar Karniayenka, a coordinator of the civil campaign ‘For Fair Elections’ was not permitted to exit Belarus. His passport was stamped with inhibitory mark in the National Airport Misnk–2 on 12 July.

12.07.2012 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in June 2012

Events in June clearly demonstrated that Belarusian authorities considered human rights issues only in the dimension of political relations with the EU and other countries of Europe. The focus of these relations was still on the problem of political prisoners. Due to the complete lack of political will for the release of political prisoners by Belarusian authorities, the EU announced the possibility of extending the list of the state officials of Belarus falling under its sanctions. This was announced on 18 June in Brussels by Gunnar Wiegand, Director of the European External Action Service Department for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, regional cooperation and OSCE.

12.07.2012 OSCE Chairperson strongly regrets Belarus travel ban on civil society activist

DUBLIN, 12 July 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affaires Eamon Gilmore, expressed his strong regret about the Belarusian authorities’ decision to prevent a Belarusian civil society activist from travelling to an OSCE meeting in Vienna today.

12.07.2012 Weekly analytical report on election monitoring results: July 2-8

The parliamentary election does not receive wide coverage in mass media. State-owned media ignore the election activity of the opposition forces, publishing materials about the current members of the Chamber of Representatives and the potential pro-governmental candidates.

11.07.2012 Malaryta District Court upholds prohibition of picket “For Honest Elections”

The Malaryta District Court (the Brest region) confirmed the legality of the prohibition of the picket by the Malaryta District Executive Committee.

11.07.2012 Weird voting at sitting of election commission in Rechytsa

The first sitting of the Rechytsa constituency election commission was held under an attentive supervision of the head of the Rechytsa District Executive Committee Piatro Shostak.