The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for May 2013

15.05.2013 BAJ represents Belarus in the European Federation of Journalists

On 13 May 2013 the Belarusian Association of Journalists became an official member of the European Federation of Journalists.

15.05.2013 BAJ demands Review Proceedings in the Cases of Arrested Journalists

On May 13 the public association BAJ filed official letters to the Investigative Committee, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Prosecutor General, demanding to investigate the allegations of arbitrary detentions and arrests of journalists on May 7 and April 25.

15.05.2013 Prosecutor's office covers unlawful actions of KGB

The prosecutor's office found no violations in the actions of the KGB officers who had detained a Klimavichy activist of the civic initiative "Tell the Truth".

15.05.2013 Inha Abramava tries to find out which detention centers have women among their staff

Inha Abramava, a civic activist from Brest, applied to the Minister of Interior with the request to provide information which detention centers of Belarus have women among their workers.

15.05.2013 Mikalai Autukhovich cannot eat well

According to the head of the public association "Legal Assistance to Population" Aleh Volhak, the political prisoner cannot eat properly due to problems with his teeth.

14.05.2013 Brest authorities explain non-implementation of the law by organizational issues and lack of financing

The members of the Chamber of Representatives, elected by citizens of the Brest region, answered the inquiry of the electors who wondered why the agreement about the sdfsdf between Belarus and Poland still hadn't been implemented.

14.05.2013 Court shows no support to trade union activist

Representative of the Mahiliou house-building combine didn't manage to prove at court that Aliaksei Paulouski didn't do his work properly. Earlier the head of the personnel department of the Mahiliou house-building combine Ina Zahurskaya refused to employ the activist of the Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry Aliaksei Paulouski as he allegedly spent 80% of his working time on talks with workers instead of implementing his professional duties.

14.05.2013 Disgraced Belarusian counsels support their Ukrainian colleagues

A group of the Belarusian counsels which were persecuted by the Belarusian authorities addressed their Ukrainian colleagues with the words of support. They filed an appropriate letter to the Supreme Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Ukrainian Bar Association.

13.05.2013 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in April 2013

In April, the human rights situation in Belarus remained consistently poor with a clear tendency to deteriorate. 11 political prisoners (Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Autukhovich, Ales Bialiatski, Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalai Dziadok, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Eduard Lobau, Artsiom Prakapenka, Pavel Seviaryents, Mikalai Statkevich and Yauhen Vaskovich) were still kept in jail; 2 persons continued to serve their terms of personal restraint (Sviataslau Baranovich and Dzmitry Miadzvedz); 8 more still had suspended or conditional prison terms (Andrei Dzmitryieu, Aliaksandr Fiaduta, Iryna Khalip, Siarhei Martsaleu, Uladzimir Niakliayeu, Andrei Pachobut, Vital Rymasheuski, Siarhei Vazniak) yatoslav Baranovitch).

13.05.2013 Health Service assures politician that prisoners are kept in good conditions in Vitsebsk detention center

Having served five days of arrest at the Vitsebsk detention center for spreading leaflets with invitation to Freedom Day rally, the head of the Vitsebsk regional branch of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Leanid Autukhou had to apply for medical assistance.

13.05.2013 Eduard Lobau was allowed to meet with his mother

Political prisoner Eduard Lobau, who is serving a 4-year prison term in the Ivatsevichy penitentiary "Vouchyia Nory" received the permission for a three-day meeting with his mother. The meeting was appointed on the next weekend.

13.05.2013 Ministry of Justice recognizes actions of Salihorsk District Court as unlawful

The Ministry of Justice took the side of the "Young Front" activist Andrei Tychyna in his long-standing dispute with the Salihorsk District Court.

13.05.2013 Independent journalists refuse to come to Bialynichy DPD

Two independent journalists from Mahiliou, Yauhen Hlushkou and Alina Skrabunova, received notices that they needed to come to the Bialynichy District Police Department to police inspector Aliaksandr Yemialyanau at 10 a.m. on 13 May.

13.05.2013 Belaaziorsk police vigilantly watched democratic activists

A voluntary cleaning of the recreation zone near Lake Belaye in Belaaziorsk was held under a vigilant supervision of the local police. Activists of the civil campaign "Tell the Truth!", the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) and the Free Trade Union of Belarus have cleaned this territory for several years already.