The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for November 2012

05.11.2012 Navapolatsk: Christian democrat Siarhei Malashenka is pressurized

On the eve of the constituent assembly of the public organization “Young Christian Democrats” unidentified persons damaged Malashenka's car by punching two tires on his car. People in mufti also visited his father at work, asking whether to put his son in prison or no.

05.11.2012 Political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich gets completely isolated

The prison administration doesn't allow the prisoner to meet with a priest, he does not receive letters and parcels. Mikalai Statkevich told about the refusal of the administration to allow the meeting already a month ago, during the visit of the apostolic nuncio Claudio Gugerotti. The prison administration another time promised to bring a priest to the political prisoner. However, in the letter written a month after the meeting with the nuncio, Statkevich says he still had no meeting with a priest – the prison administration said the priest was away on a mission.

02.11.2012 Front Line Defenders condemns the harassment of human rights defender Aleh Volchak

The international human rights organization voiced its protest against the tax pressurization used towards Aleh Volchak. Here’s the full text of the appropriate statement.

02.11.2012 Show solidarity with ARCHE!

“ARCHE” is the only thick monthly magazine in the Belarusian language which has been regularly issued since 1998. However, the events that have been taking place since the arrest of it’s the then chief editor Valer Bulhakau can put a cross on the further existence of the edition.

02.11.2012 Yan Dziarzhautsau: the ruling of the city executive committee is impossible to implement

Yan Dziarzhautsau, a member of the Conservative-Christian Party “Belarusian Popular Front”, filed an application for holding a picket on 7 November. “According to the ruling of the executive committee, we must supply the application with service agreements, concluded with the police, the city medics and the public utilities”, he says.

02.11.2012 Slutsk: civil activist gets fined 1 mln rubles for stickers

The administrative commission of the Slutsk District Executive Committee found the civil activist Vital Amialkovich guilty of violating the urban maintenance rules (Article 21.14, part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences) as a result of the second consideration of his case.

02.11.2012 Human rights defender Siarhei Ustsinau not included in the civil commission on supervision over activities of the organs and institutions which execute punishments

According to the website protivpytok.org, the supervisory commissions act on the basis of the Ruling #1220 of the Soviet of Ministers of 12 September 2006.

02.11.2012 Slutsk District Executive Committee: “It is impractical to repair the borders in winter”

In October volunteers gathered more than 300 signatures of Slutsk residents under the demand to make pedestrian crossings more accessible.

02.11.2012 Vitsebsk medic faces provocations possibly connected to critique of state of Belarusian medicine

The Vitsebsk medic Ihar Pastnou repeatedly raised the daily issued of the Vitsebsk medicine in the press and in the Internet. However, recently he had to apply to the police as somebody is posting provocative materials on the web under his name.

02.11.2012 “NO” to death penalty” campaign supported in Simferopol

Simferopol schoolchildren supported the campaign against the use of the death penalty in Belarus. Within the framework of the mobile exhibition “Everyone has the right to know their rights” held in Simferopol at the end of October they signed postcards addressed to Aliaksand Lukashenka with the demand to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty with the subsequent abolition of this kind of punishment.

02.11.2012 Tax inspection threatens Homel human rights defender with an administrative case

The Savetski District Tax Inspection of Homel sent a letter to the human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka, according to which he is summoned to the inspection for signing a protocol and participation in administrative proceedings. The matter is that earlier the tax inspection had demanded that he presented an income and assets declarations, which he refused to do.

02.11.2012 Another “Dai Darohu” concert is banned

The band from Brest cannot manage to give second concert in a row. The reason for that is sudden cancellation few days before the performance. It became known on Wednesday that the “Sphere” club in Brest refused to hold the concert. And yesterday the musicians reported that their performance at the festival Rock Wave in Hrodna was also canceled, generation.by reports.

02.11.2012 Detention conditions of civil activist Zmitser Dashkevich get worse

Paris-Minsk, 1 November 2012 - FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus, Human Rights Center “Viasna”, condemn Tuesday’s Mozyr District Court decision imposing punitive incarceration on Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of the civil and political organization Young Front, for the entire duration of his sentence.

01.11.2012 “Young Front” activist Zmitser Kremenetski taken to hospital

Zmitser Kremenetski was detained preventively at the railway station on return from the wedding of the “Young Front” member Mikola Dzemidzenka and sentenced to 5 days for alleged “disorderly conduct” (Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations).

01.11.2012 Vitold Ashurka sentenced to 3 days of jail

After Judge Aliaksandr Shylin announced the verdict, Vitold Ashurka was taken back to the police station, having served 2 days and 4 hours of arrest already.