The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for October 2013

25.10.2013 Baranavichy court denies Ukrainian minority’s right to premises

On October 24, the Court of Baranavichy district and the city of Baranavichy continued to hear a complaint against the executive committee filed by local civil society activist Mikalai Charnavus.

25.10.2013 UN Human Rights Committee receives another complaint against Salihorsk executive committee

Salihorsk opposition activist Uladzimir Shyla submitted a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee to contest a ban on a Freedom Day picket imposed by Salihorsk district executive committee in March.

25.10.2013 Article 193.1: Lawyer Tamara Siarhei fails in challenging Prosecutor General's warning

“The Prosecutor's Office and the court followed the instruction of the Presidential Administration,” said lawyer Tamara Siarhei in her comments on a decision taken by the civil division of the Minsk City Court on October 24. An official warning issued to the lawyer by the General Prosecutor's Office over criminal responsibility for organizing the activities of an unregistered public association took effect immediately after the decision was announced.

24.10.2013 Krychau court dismisses case against Volny Horad newspaper

Krychau district court dismissed today another lawsuit filed against the journalists of the independent newspaper Volny Horad ("Free Town"), after employees of the Cherykau-based state-owned enterprise PMK-280 gave up their claims to the weekly.

24.10.2013 Amnesty International on death sentence annulment: A step in the right direction

The President of the Republic of Belarus must introduce an immediate moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the use of the death penalty. Amnesty International reiterated its call while welcoming the fact that earlier this week the country’s Supreme Court overturned a death sentence.

24.10.2013 Lohvinau Sues Information Ministry

On October 23, the publishing house “Lohvinau” filed a lawsuit to the Supreme Economic Court demanding to nullify the Ministry’s order to withdraw license from the publishing house.

24.10.2013 Good Cop or Bad Cop?

On October 23 the chairperson of BAJ Zhanna Litvina and her deputy Andrei Bastunets had a talk with the head of the police department of the Minsk City Executive Committee Aliaksandr Barsukou. The topic of the meeting was the detention of journalists on October 19 at the railway station in Minsk.

24.10.2013 Raid on blogger's home in Babruisk

Police officers raided the flat of blogger Aleh Zhalnou.

24.10.2013 Mylène Farmer signs petition against the death penalty in Belarus

On October 24, three days before her arrival in Minsk, where Mylène Farmer is expected to present to the public her new show “Timeless”, she signed a petition of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus."

24.10.2013 More preventive detentions and trials ahead of CIS summit

Activist of the EuroBelarus movement from Dziarzhynsk, Aliaksandr Tarnahurski, was summoned for interrogation at 10 this morning. The police also detained an activist of the National Bolshevik movement Dzmitry Paliyenka. Later it became known that he was charged with disorderly conduct. As a result, the activist stood trial and was sentenced to six days of arrest.

24.10.2013 MFA avoids direct answer to human rights defender’s petition in case of death convict Pavel Sialiun

Coordinator of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus" Andrei Paluda received a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus to his letter, in which the human rights activist informed the MFA of the registration in the UN Human Rights Committee of an individual complaint by Pavel Sialiun, sentenced to death earlier this year.

24.10.2013 National Bolsehvik leader sentenced to short prison term

Yauhen Kontush, leader of the Belarusian National Bolsheviks movement, was detained by the police when leaving his house at around 9 last morning. The reason for the detention is still unknown. Another activist of the movement, Dzmitry Paliyenka was detained last evening and taken to the police station. It was also known that the police "hunted" Aliaksandr Paliakou, but he managed to escape arrest.

23.10.2013 Central Election Commission fails to submit amendments to Electoral Code to OSCE ODIHR representatives

This was announced during a meeting of international experts with the Belarusian human rights activists. The human rights defenders are concerned over the mystery that accompanies the adoption of the bill that will be heard tomorrow is the second reading of the Parliament. As yet, the document is not available to the public.