The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2013

10.07.2013 "Nasha Niva" journalists get detained

On 10 July the journalists of the independent newspaper "Nasha Niva" Mikita Dubaleka and Iryna Arakhouskaya were detained in the center of Minsk, allegedly for identification.

10.07.2013 Homel: psychiatrist manages to get justice only after a year of struggle

The man who served time in prison for a crime he did not commit, finally managed to get the justice.

10.07.2013 Former presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu initiated a criminal case against offenders

The hearings concerning the beating of presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu on the Election Day, 19 December 2010, will start at the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk on 10 July.

10.07.2013 Criminal case of Iryna Khalip passed to court

The criminal-executive inspection of the Partyzanski District Police Department passed to court the materials of the criminal case against Iryna Khalip. The deferrment of the sentence Mrs. Khalip ends on 21 July, that's why the trial cannot start later than this date.

10.07.2013 Brest: adherents of Belarusian Christian Democracy want to register as a public association

The activists applied to the Justice Department of the Brest Regional Executive Committee for registration of the public association "Brest Christian Democrats". This is the way the local adherents of the Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) intend to legalize their activiites, as far as all previous campaigns for the registration of the party were unsuccessful: the Ministry of Justice repeatedly refused to provide the state registration for the party.

10.07.2013 Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok spent ten days in penal cell

The political prisoner was kept in a penal cell for ten days. He was put there in the first half of June for unknown reasons.

09.07.2013 Political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich: "Whatever hard and hopeless it can be, but our time is coming, and their time is going"

Mr. Dashkevich hopes to get released next month, after the end of the additional one-year prison term for "malignant insubordination to the administration of the penitentiary". He wrote about it in a letter to the Bialynichy journalist Barys Vyrvich, received by him on 9 July.

09.07.2013 Andrei Haidukou's counsel appealed the verdict

As the journalists informed by Andrei's mother, Volha Haidukova, the lawyer Vadzim Mushynski appealed the verdict at the Supreme Court of Belarus.

09.07.2013 Slonim District Prosecutor upholds regular bans on mass events

A few weeks ago the head of the Slonim organization of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, Ivan Bedka, complained to the prosecutor of the Slonim district about the ban on a picket in support of physician Ivan Sheha. "For ten years, the Slonim District Executive Committee hasn't authorized any mass events of democratic forces in Slonim. Thereby officials routinely violate my constitutional right to peaceful assemblies," wrote Mr. Bedka.

09.07.2013 Show your support! Send a message to Ales Bialiatski before 12 July!

Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", has been in prison since 4 August 2011. In November the same year, he was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and confiscation of property for alleged tax evasion. In fact, the sentence is related to Ales Bialiatski’s work for human rights in Belarus.

09.07.2013 Independent journalist Alena Stsiapanava to stand trial

A Vitsebsk member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Alena Stsiapanava is charged with violation of the Law "On Mass Media". The police believe that she cooperated with a foreign media without receiving the state accreditation in the due order.

09.07.2013 Sobering-up stations renamed to "special isolation facilities" to eliminate negative perception

In Belarus, the delinquents' isolation centers and sobering-up stations are reorganized. The corresponding decree № 307 "On the issues of improvement of the internal affairs of the Republic of Belarus" was signed by Aliaksandr Lukashenka on 8 July.

09.07.2013 Warning to activist of "Tell The Truth" left in force

Aliaksandr Kuzmin, activist of the civic campaign "Tell the Truth" from Belaaziorsk, received a response to his complaint from the Brest Regional Prosecutor's Office, signed by the deputy prosecutor, senior adviser of justice Aliaksandr Tochka.

09.07.2013 Builder threatens journalist Siarhei Serabro with a pavement tile

On 5 July the photo journalist of the online newspaper "Narodnyia naviny Vitsebska" Siarhei Serabro was preparing photo essay on the impact of a flood caused by a heavy rain in Vitsebsk. In particular, he paid interest to a pit formed in the center of town, opposite the shopping center "Marco City".

08.07.2013 BCD member fined 2.5 mln for commemorating Dzmitry Zavadski

Judge Tatsiana Palulekh of Minsk Savetski District Court sentenced today Pavel Prakapovich, activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy’s organizing committee, to a fine of 2.5 mln rubles on charges of staging an illegal picket in memory of journalist Dzmitry Zavadski.