The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 21 Sep 2012

21.09.2012 Ales Bialiatski’s defense lawyers exhaust all national judicial remedies

The Supreme Court has dismissed a supervisory appeal against a sentence to Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski pronounced by the Court of Pershamaiski District of Minsk on November 24, 2011, says Valiantsin Stefanovich, deputy chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, quoting a letter received from the prisoner.

21.09.2012 Ongoing harassment of Tatsiana Reviaka

The Belarusian tax authorities have joined a campaign of harassment of Tatsiana Reviaka, member of the Council of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and President of the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile.

21.09.2012 Tell the Truth activist detained in Minsk

Aliaksei Mikulich, activist of the Tell the Truth civil campaign, was detained this afternoon, while distributing leaflets calling for a boycott of the lections in Minsk, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

21.09.2012 UCP observer ejected from polling station in Mahiliou

Yury Darashenka, observer representing the United Civil Party in Mahiliou, has been deprived of accreditation by head of polling station election commission No. 70 Vera Tsyrkunova.

21.09.2012 Investigation of libel case against journalist Andrzej Poczobut extended until October 21

The Hrodna regional office of the Investigative Committee of Belarus has prolonged its investigation of a libel case against journalist Andrzej Poczobut until October 21.

21.09.2012 Brest and Baranavichy students forced to vote early

Extremely high voters’ turnout has been reported by independent observers at the polling stations of Brest and Baranavichy. Most of the voters are students of local education institutions, Brest State Technical University and Baranavichy State University, say the observers.

21.09.2012 Two more observers expelled from polling stations in Svetlahorsk

Two more observers representing the Fair World party have been expelled from the polling stations in Svetlahorsk district.

21.09.2012 Australian TV reporter detained at Minsk airport

Amos Roberts, reporter of the Australian TV channel SBS, was detained at Minsk international airport this afternoon, press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

21.09.2012 Salihorsk observers petition election commissions for transparent vote count

The independent observers of two Salihorsk constituencies addressed local polling stations election commissions with a proposal to make the vote count procedures transparent for all the election commissioners and the observers present.

21.09.2012 Ivatsevichy policemen ordered to vote early

Mrs. Larysa Kolbik, deputy head of Ivatsevichy police department, reportedly ordered her employees to go to the polls on the first day of the early voting campaign, says observer Stanislau Khaladovich, registered in constituency No. 11.

21.09.2012 Young Front activist Zmitser Kremianetski sentenced to 5 days in prison

Judge Mikhail Yesman of Minsk Tsentralny District Court has sentenced Zmitser Kremianetski, activist of the Young Front opposition movement, to five days of administrative arrest on charges of resisting arrest.

21.09.2012 Amnesty International: Opposition under attack amid growing boycott of elections

A spate of human rights violations targeting opposition supporters and journalists in Belarus is nothing more than a clumsy attempt to suppress opposition voices ahead of elections on Sunday 23 September, Amnesty International said amid a growing call to boycott the poll.