The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2013

12.09.2013 Authorities prohibit March against abortions

The march was blessed by the heads of the Orthodox and Catholic churches in the country – Metropolitans Filaret and Tadevush Kandrusevich.

12.09.2013 Brest: appeal against actions of the local authorities filed to the Government

An activist of the civil campaign "Tell the truth!" Ihar Maslouski sent an appeal to the complaint to the Council of Ministers concerning the inaction of the authorities of Brest , who ignored a collective appeal signed by more than 1,100 people.

12.09.2013 Vitsebsk Regional Court turns down the appeal of Ihar Pastnou against forced psychiatric treatment

The ruling of the judge of the Vitsebsk District Court Tatsiana Dzehtsiarova, who sanctioned the forced medical treatment of the psychiatrist Pastnou, was left standing by the Vitsebsk Regional Court. The appeal was considered closed to the public: journalists, human rights defenders and Pastnou's trustee Siarhei Ryzhou weren't admitted to it.

12.09.2013 Criminal case brought against the author of videos about Minsk Automobile Plant and the suburb of Kurasoushchyna

The Kastrychnitski District Police Department of Minsk brought a criminal case against Ruslan Mirzoyeu for a violation of the rules of serving the term of personal restraint. Mr. Mirzoyeu is the author of critical videos about the Minsk Automobile Plant and the suburb of Kurasoushchyna.

12.09.2013 Artists Drazdou and Pushkin apply to the UN

On 2 September 2012 the artists Henadz Drazdou, Ales Pushkin, Ales Tsyrkunou and Valiantsin Varanishcha, as well as the public activist Uladzimir Shulzhytski walked along the streets of Smarhon with portrats of an activist of the anti-Soviet resistance movement Rastsislau Lapitski. They were detained by the police and charged with participation in an unauthorized mass event.

12.09.2013 System unit, taken away on the case of the virus attack on the website of “Nasha Niva”, is not returned to the owner

Valiantsina Panfila, a public activist from Brest, has been waiting for the return of her system unit for two months already. The police repeatedly promised to return it after it was found that the woman had no relation to the virus attack on the newspaper computers.

12.09.2013 July wages haven't been paid off yet at some enterprises of the Homel region

As it has been declared at a council of the head of the Homel Regional Executive Committee, three enterprises of the region still haven't paid their workers the wages for July: Homel Plant of Building Structures, Zhytkavichy combine of public service and Loyeu agricultural service.

12.09.2013 Mahiliou resident tried to get an audience with the head of the Mahiliou Regional Executive Committee through court

On 11 September Valiantsina Tarasava, Judge of the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou, considered an appeal aggainst the activities of the duty officials of the Mahiliou Regional Executive Committee concerning the refusal of the head of the executive committee Piatro Rudnik to accept him.

12.09.2013 Belarusian musicians against death penalty

In early October well-known Belarusian musicians, including Liavon Volski, Hanna Khitryk, Dzmitry Vaitsiushkevich and others, will present a new joint project “Aposhni Zolak” (“Last Dawn”).

11.09.2013 Krychau District Court exacts 900,000 rubles from “Volny Horad” in favor of Cherykau PMK-280

On 10 September a sitting of the Krychau District Court considered another claim of the PSC "Cherykau PMK-280" to the journalists of the independent newspaper "Volny Horad".

11.09.2013 Ihar Pastnou applies to prosecutor's office

The repressed psychiatrist wrote an appeal to the prosecutor's office and passed it to his trustee Siarhei Ryzhou so that the latter could filed it there. At present Mr. Ryzhou is prohibited to meet with Mr. Pastnou who is kept in the Vitsebsk regional center of Psychiatry and Narcology after uploading several critical video addresses on the web.

10.09.2013 Evicted Roma to meet “Dazhynki” in marquees

On 5 August we wrote about the forced eviction of Roma from a village near Zhlobin due to the upcoming festival “Dazhynki”. Seven bad-looking houses, illegally built by the Roma 25 years ago, were ruined by the local authorities and now are being buried in the ground.

10.09.2013 Does the law exist for judges?

On 4 September the lawyer of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Uladzimir Labkovich received a mail from the Minsk City Court about the reversal of the verdict of the Savetski District Court of Minsk on the administrative case according to which he was fined 3 million rubles.

10.09.2013 Ihar Pastnou stated that he was forcibly fed medicines

On 9 September Vitsebsk activist Siarhei Ryzhou received the power of attorney giving him the right to represent the interests of the Vitsebsk psychiatrist Ihar Pastnou, signed by the medics of the Vitsebsk regional psychiatric hospital. However, several hours after it he was informed that he was prohibited to meet with Ihar Pastnou who is undergoing a course of forced medical treatment.

10.09.2013 Aliaksandr Valchanin proposes MFA to discuss issues of interation with the civil society in Belarus

A member of the Zhodzina City Council of two convocations, member of the Coordinating Committee of the National platform of the “Eastern Partnership” Aliaksandr Valchanin proposed the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alena Kupchyna to discuss issues of interaction with the civil society of Belarus.