The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for November 2012

15.11.2012 Valiantsin Stefanovich: KGB has violent imagination

The human rights activist does not believe that the youth activist Andrei Gaidukou worked for foreign intelligence.

15.11.2012 No suspects in case of bomb explosion near KGB office in Vitsyebsk

No one is currently suspected of detonating a homemade explosive device near the regional office of the Committee for State Security (KGB) in Vitsyebsk on November 11, Pavel Traulka, spokesman for the Investigative Committee, told BelaPAN.

15.11.2012 Pavel Sevyarynets: Belarus has new political prisoner

The co-chairman of the organising committee to create Belarusian Christian Democracy party demands to release Andrei Haidukou.

15.11.2012 Human rights defender urges Supreme Court to punish Baranavichy judges

Human rights defender Siarhei Housha filed today a statement to the office of the Chairman of the Supreme Court, with a demand to prosecute two judges of Baranavichy City and District Court.

15.11.2012 “Departed on Sentence” documentary presented in Göteborg

A documentary on the issue of the death penalty entitled “Departed on Sentence” has been presented in the Swedish city of Göteborg. The screening was arranged as part of the “Human Rights Days-2012”, a major event attended by some 2,000 people from across Scandinavia.

15.11.2012 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in October 2012

The situation of human rights in Belarus remained stably bad in October. 12 political prisoners continued being kept behind bars: Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Autukhovich, Ales Bialiatski, Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalai Dziadok, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Eduard Lobau, Vasil Parfiankou, Artsiom Prakapenka, Pavel Seviarynets, Mikalai Statkevich and Yauhen Vaskovich. The decision to toughen the prison regime was taken towards Dzmitry Dashkevich, as a result of which he was transferred from colony to a cell-type prison for the rest of the term.

15.11.2012 Maira Mora: Release of political prisoners is main demand

The head of the EU Delegation to Belarus reminded on what conditions the relations between official Minsk and the EU can be improved.

14.11.2012 Homel court fines Fair World’s regional leader

The Court of Homel Chyhunachny District considered today the administrative charges brought against chairman of Homel regional branch of the United Left Party "Fair World" Uladzimir Siakerka. As a result, Judge Anatol Sotnikau ruled to fine the opposition politician 2 million rubles.

14.11.2012 Rahachou police stop proceedings against editor of pro-government weekly over insulting civil activist

The police department of the town of Rahachou has dropped the administrative charges brought against the editor-in-chief of local government-owned newspaper “Svabodnaye Slova” ("Free Speech"). The police representatives say they failed to find any elements of an administrative offence in the actions of the editor.

14.11.2012 Polish ambassador calls for release and exoneration of political prisoners

The demands of the European Union and Poland remain unchanged.

14.11.2012 Navapolatsk resident suspected of “treason”

Andrei Haidukou, deputy head of the youth association "Union of Young Intellectuals" was detained in Vitsebsk on November 8. Soon, he was moved to Minsk, and now he is in the KGB jail. Reports say that another resident of Navapolatsk was questioned in the case – activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Ilya Bahdanau, but he was later released on recognizance.

13.11.2012 UN Special Rapporteur informed about repression and political prisoners

Belarusian human rights activists met with Miklós Haraszti in Vilnius.

13.11.2012 Supreme Economic Court turns down complaint by Baranavichy activist

On November 13 the Supreme Economic Court heard the cassation appeal lodged by Baranavichy businessman Mikalai Charnavus against the administration of the city’s private market. As a result, Judge Kiyenka examined the case in only five minutes and ruled to dismiss the complaint.

13.11.2012 Tamara Sidarenka: A very broad definition is given for terrorism

The changes introduced into the legislation about fight on terrorism and countering extremism made the definition of terrorism very broad in Belarus. Such an opinion was given by the expert of the Center for Legal Transformation Tamara Sidarenka to the EuroBelarus’s press-service.

13.11.2012 Documentary on death penalty presented in Khmelnytsky

On November 12 the Ukraine-based city of Khmelnytsky hosted the screening of “Departed on Sentence” human rights documentary. The screening was organized by Khmelnytsky regional office of the public organization "Center of Legal Protection".