The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for June 2013

14.06.2013 Head of Östgruppen: in the end, justice will prevail in Belarus

The issue of human rights in Belarus remains the focus of attention not only of the Belarusian human rights activists, but also of foreign human rights organizations. A great work on the dissemination of information on human rights in Belarus, solidarity actions and many other directions of activity is done by the Swedish human rights organization Östgruppen. This is stated by the head of the organization, Martin Uggla.

14.06.2013 Babruisk: discrimination of members of Free Trade Union continues

The pressurizatin of members of the Free Trade Union of Belarus continues at At the Babruisk plant of tractor parts and units. The conflict between the adminsitratioon and the trade union has a long history and the head of the trade union organization even had to go to court to get the right to be let to the territory of the plant.

14.06.2013 Human rights defender Viktar Adzinochanka comments on death sentence in Homel

A member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Viktar Adzinochanka commented on the death sentence pronounced on 14 June in Homel to a 25 year-old man.

14.06.2013 "New Life" church is evicted from its temple, pastor taken to resuscitation department

On 13 June the church "New Life" received a summons from the court bailiff of the Minsk City Economic Court of Minsk A. Scharbovich about the beginnig of enforcement proceedings against the church. The community was given seven days to vacate the building in Kavaliou Street 72. The ruling was issued by the Minsk City Economic Court on the basis of the Maskouski District Housing Management of Minsk.

14.06.2013 Brest authorities believe that compaction of city center is not a matter of public interest

Brest Regional Executive Committee responded to protests by residents of Karbyshau Street who are unhappy with the plans to build a seven-story building in their yard.

14.06.2013 Case on defamation of BSDP to be considered by appellate court

The administration of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and its member Mikalai Zalozny filed appeals to the Mahiliou Regional Court against a verdict of the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou, asking to reverse the verdict and return the case for review.

14.06.2013 Statement by the spokespersons of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Štefan Füle on the adoption by the Human Rights Council of a resolution on human rights in Belarus:

The spokespersons of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Commissioner Štefan Füle made today the following statement:

13.06.2013 Belarus : refusal to cooperate triggers renewal of the mandate by the UN Human rights Council

Today (13 June 2013), the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and expressing deep concern at continuing violations of human rights in the country.

13.06.2013 Pavel Levinau demands change of restraint for Haidukou

Vitsebsk human rights activist addressed such a request to a judge of the Vitsensk Regional Court Halina Urbanovich, who leads the trial on the "espionage case". Pavel Levinau also filed a complaint to the Investigative Committee and applied to the head of the Vitsebsk Regional Court Miakali Khamichonak concerning the noticed violations.

13.06.2013 Vitsebsk activists lose their case and fail to get to trial over Haidukou

A member of the Conservative Christian Party BPF Yan Dzyarzhautsau and the head of the Vitebsk branch of the BPF Leanid Avtukhou came to the Vitsebsk Regional Court where their appeals against verdicts of lower courts. They weren't allowed to the second floor where the second hearing on the criminal case against civic activist Andrei Haidukou was about to begin. The cassation appeals were considered for just 15 minutes. Judge Iryna Smaliakova stated that the appeals were to be dismissed.

13.06.2013 Charges given to organizer of Milavidy Feast

On 12 June a civil activist from Baranavichy Viktary Syrytsa was officially summonsed to the Baranavichy District Police Department as one of the organizers of the Milavidy festival in honor of the 150th anniversary of the uprising of 1863.

13.06.2013 Vitsebsk: second day of trial of "spy" Haidukou

According to the information from the Vitsebsk Regional Court, where the hearings on the criminal case against Andrei Haidukou are taking place, the defendant is kept in a cage. "It can be a gross violation of his right to defense, as keeping him in a cage can hinder him to contact with his counsel during the trial", stated the Vitsebsk human rights defender Pavel Levinau.

13.06.2013 Mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus Miklos Haraszti extended for one year

On 13 June, during the 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, the voting on the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus took place. The delegations of 26 countries voted for the resolution containing the proposal to extend the mandate of Miklos Haraszti, opposed by 3, 18 delegations abstained from voting.

13.06.2013 New death verdict issued in Hrodna

On 5 August 2012 a brutal double murder took place in Hrodna on 5 August 2012. A Vileika resident, born in 1990, killed his wife, a resident of Zhlobin and a friend of hers out of jealosy in a hostel apartment. He dismembered the corpse of the man and threw it in the trash bin, except for the head, which he took in the bag with him. He was detained with the head by the police in a train in Vaukavysk.

13.06.2013 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in May 2013

In May, there was no positive development in the human rights situation in Belarus, which remained consistently bad. The absence of real mechanisms of influence on this sphere inside the country and its strong dependence on foreign factors created a situation where the greatest expectations were associated with external influences, especially concerning the release of political prisoners. However, intensive contacts of the Belarusian authorities with the European Union, its institutions and individual countries as well as with the United States didn't bring perceptible results in this direction.