The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for January 2013

16.01.2013 Two weeks pass, Andrei Haidukou gets no parcel

The Navapolatsk youth activist, charged with "high treason", is still kept in the pre-trial prison of the KGB. The investigator who is responsible for his case works at the Vitsebsk Region KGB Department.

16.01.2013 Human rights defenders appeal fines at Hrodna Region Court

The Hrodna human rights defenders Viktar Sazonau, Raman Yurhel and Uladzimir Khilmanovich, each of whom has been fined 1.5 million rubles for holding an "unauthorized picket" on 10 December, applied to the Hrodna Region Court.

15.01.2013 Lukashenka: has Bialiatski been released or not yet?

On 15 January Aliaksandr Lukashenka held a press-conference for Belarusian and foreign journalists. Answering a question he started talking about "Bialiatski or whatever". "Has he been released or not yet?", asked he a rhetorical question.

15.01.2013 Belarusian House in Prague opens its website

The motto of www.beldom.cz is "Being a Belarusian is prestigious and noble". This information was given to the BelaPAN by the coordinator, Natallia Makovik.

15.01.2013 Ministry of Justice suspends YCD registration for a month

The organizing committee of the civil association "Young Christian Democrats" received a letter from the Ministry of Justice, according to which the process of its registration with the state was suspended for a month.

15.01.2013 Salihorsk activist Uladzimir Lemesh punished with a fine

The Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk sentenced Uladzimir Lemesh, an activist of the "European Belarus", to pay a fine of 3 million rubles for alleged insubordination to the police (Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

15.01.2013 Mikalai Charnavus files complaint to head of Supreme Economic Court

On 14 January the Baranavichy entrepreneur and civil activist Mikalai Charnavus filed a complaint to the head of the Supreme Economic Court against the verdict of the cassation panel of judges of 13 November 2012.

14.01.2013 "Flight" – animation about death penalty in Belarus (video)

The animation film, created by talented volunteers of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against Death Penalty", dwells on the topic of the cruelty and inhumanity of the death penalty in Belarus. Our country is the last one in Europe and on the post-Soviet space where the death penalty is still used.

14.01.2013 Ales Bialiatski: "I am very grateful to the people who write me!"

In his letters of the New Year period Ales Bialiatski says that he "has been totally covered with the avalanche of letters and postcards when congratulations were added to the action of support". Sometimes he received about 500 letters a day from Belarus and abroad.

14.01.2013 Aleh Volchak addresses UN Human Rights Committee in connection with arrests

The head of the human rights center "Legal Assistance to the Population" Aleh Volchak applied to the UN Human Rights Committee with a complaint in which he lists the facts of systemic violation of the civil rights to freedom and personal immunity, as well as the use of politically motivated adverse discrimination.

14.01.2013 Disabled pensioner fined 3 million rubles for an attempt to set afire the head of the village executive committee

The Biaroza District Court fined Pavel Levashevich, a 89-year-old pensioner from the village of Sakalova in the Biaroza district who has a bad sight, a former prisoner of a German concentration camp, was sentenced to 3 million rubles of fine for an attempt to set afire himself and the head of the Sakalova village executive committee. Though Mr. Levashevich regrets about his deed, he thinks that the verdict is too severe:

14.01.2013 Aleh Stakhayevich: the independent trade union organization at "Granite" still exists

Despite the ceaseless systemic pressure, threats and dismissals, the organization of the independent trade union at the stone-mining enterprise "Granite" in Mikashevichy continues its activities.

14.01.2013 Brest: independent journalists issued with an official warning

The prosecutor's office came to the conclusion that the articles which were published at the website of Radio "Racyja" under the nickname Alisa Pol really belonged to Alina Litvinchuk. However, the deputy prosecutor of the Brest region Aliaksandr Tochka, who passed the warning to the journalist, failed to explain how the prosecutor's office had come to such conclusion.

14.01.2013 Orsha coalition of democratic forces got a letter from Ales Bialiatski

The Orsha coalition of democratic forces sent greeting letters to the 12 Belarusian political prisoners on the eve of the New Year holidays. The coalition participants wished all convicts spiritual strength, tenacity and faith in a better future for the new Belarus. The letter was signed by representatives of nine political parties and initiatives.

14.01.2013 Solidarity action with Bialiatski in Salihorsk (photo)

Last weekend the civil activists from Salihorsk expressed their solidarity with the imprisoned human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. The action was initiated by the local representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the editorial office of the saligorsk.org website.