The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for October 2013

23.10.2013 Brest Regional Court turns down appeal against prosecutor's warning over illegal NGO membership

Brest Regional Court dismissed a complaint filed by a civil society activist from the town of Belaaziorsk Aliaksandr Kuzmin to contest the actions of the prosecutor of Biaroza district and the Brest Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Judge Alena Kavalchuk supported the decision of prosecutors who had issued a warning for activity on behalf of the unregistered organization, the "Tell the Truth" movement.

23.10.2013 Mahiliou court supports street events restrictions

On October 22, the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou chaired by Judge Valiantsina Lapatsina considered a complaint filed by local human rights defenders Barys Bukhel and Aliaksei Kolchyn to challenge a decision of the city executive committee "On Mass Events in the city of Mahiliou".

23.10.2013 Brest regional prosecutor sides with Baranavichy colleague to reject complaint

Member of the Movement "For Freedom" Viktar Syrytsa received a letter signed by Deputy Prosecutor of Brest region, A.T. Tachko, who said that there were no violations of law during the consideration of his complaint in Baranavichy district prosecutor's office. Therefore, he found no grounds for disciplinary action against the Baranavichy interdistrict prosecutor.

23.10.2013 Homel opposition activist files complaint to UN Human Rights Committee

Homel pro-democratic activist Kanstantsin Zhukouski submitted on October 22 a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee. He believes that the Belarusian government violated his right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression (Article 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).

23.10.2013 Death sentence for Aliaksandr Hrunou may be commuted to life imprisonment

Representatives of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus," who have been monitoring the trial of Aliaksandr Hrunou, do not rule out the possibility of replacing the execution with life imprisonment.

22.10.2013 Sicily hears truth about human rights in Belarus

Lawyer Pavel Sapelka, Ales Bialiatski’s wife Natallia Pinchuk and Amnesty International’s expert on Belarus Heather McGill met with human rights activists and the media in Italy.

22.10.2013 Supreme Court overturns death verdict

The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court considered today an appeal filed by Aliaksandr Hrunou earlier sentenced to death by a verdict of the Homel Regional Court. Today, the case was sent back for revision.

22.10.2013 Krychau district court grants another lawsuit against Volny Horad newspaper

On October 22, the District Court of Krychau satisfied a claim by the Cherykau-based PMK-280 state-owned enterprise against the newspaper Volny Horad (“Free Town”). Judge Antanina Kachanava concluded that in an article entitled “We’ll Wait with a Contradiction” the journalists of the newspaper discredited and undermined the company's business reputation. The article was published on June 29, 2013.

22.10.2013 Petition in support of Minsk Gay Pride 2013

Organizers of the Minsk Gay Pride 2013 prepared an online petition for a symbolic support for the 9th Annual Belarusian Human Rights Forum and a public action in support of tolerance for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons in the Republic of Belarus.

22.10.2013 Minsk district court orders reinvestigation of charges against National Bolshevik activists

On October 21, the Court of Minsk district and the town of Zaslauye, having considered the complaint of several activists of the Belarusian National Bolshevik movement, quashed the decisions made by the head of Zhdanovichy police station and forwarded their administrative charges for reinvestigation. The fines imposed under the decisions ranged from 100 to 800 thousand rubles.

22.10.2013 Issue of the death penalty discussed in the regions

Activists of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus” are trying to change the information vacuum, which, according to sociological studies, still accompanies the issue of the death penalty in our country.

22.10.2013 Lithuanian court turns down MFA’s appeal against Belarusian civil society activist

On October 21, Mikalai Ulasevich, civil society and political activist from Astravets district, Hrodna region, received a message from his Lithuania-based lawyer. On this day, the highest court of the country dismissed an appeal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania against the decision of the administrative court of Vilnius, which found violations in the decision of the authorities of Lithuania to ban Ulasevich’s entry to the country for three months in September of 2012 due to the fact that a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant was then being held.

21.10.2013 Vilnius to host 3rd Belarusian Human Rights Forum on October 26-27

The 3rd Belarusian Human Rights Forum will be held on 26-27 October, 2013 in Vilnius. The Forum will bring together representatives of the Belarusian human rights organizations, as well as international and foreign human rights groups.

21.10.2013 Army major stands trial for refusal to take ideology exam

The Border Committee prepares a show trial against major Aliaksei Kastsiukou.

21.10.2013 NGOs urge EU to make its restrictive measures against Belarus effective

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, together with a group of human rights NGOs from several European countries, sent a letter this week to the ministers of foreign affairs of EU member states urging the EU to extend and expand its targeted economic sanctions against Belarusian companies providing support to the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenka by exporting to and through the EU.