The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for November 2013

06.11.2013 Citizens, detained near the detention facility in Akrestsin Street, released in three hours

On 6 November the police arrested nine people who came to the center for the isolation of offenders in Akrestsin Street to meet the Homel resident Yury Rubtsou, detained after the end of the “Dziady” rally in Minsk and sentenced to 3 days of arrest for the alleged “insubordination to the police”.

06.11.2013 Pinsk trade unions oppose the decrease of the level of the social protection of workers

The trade union committee of the Pinsk enterprise of housing and communal services issued a statement about the inadmissibility of unjustified reduction of benefits for temporary disability and maternity leave.

06.11.2013 Slonim District Court stably sides with the executive committee

Slonim district court considered the appeal of the Slonim activist Ales Masiuk, in which he asked to recognize as illegal and annul the decision of the executive committee to ban the rally in defense of the readers and subscribers of “Hazeta Slonimskaya”.

06.11.2013 Residents of Hlybokaye are deprived of the opportunity to hold mass events

Executive Committee decided to amend its decision on the organization of public events - a place to change their conduct. It was found that, when local activists decided to organize a rally of solidarity with political prisoners. On receipt of their refusal letter , mass actions actually banned indefinitely.

06.11.2013 Letters from Mikalai Statkevich not let through

Zmitser Dashkevich has applied to the Mahiliou Region Department of Corrections with a request to inspect prison No. 4 in Mahiliou and find out why some letters sent by Mikalai Statkevich haven't been received by their addressees.

06.11.2013 Zmitser Dashkevich sentenced to three days of arrest

“Young Front” members have been gathering signatures for renaming Lenin Street to Frantsyskanskaya Street (the historical name) near the central department store for the third day already.

05.11.2013 Pavel Sapelka: Prisoners deprived of their miserable earnings

Inmates will not have enough money for basic necessities after giving 90% of their salaries.

05.11.2013 Party of Communists of Belarus and ideologists prepare to the local elections together

Several days ago, an enlarged plenum of the Mahiliou Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus and the regional ideologists took place. According to the internet website of the Asipovichy district newspaper "Asipovitski krai", the ideologists and the pro-government Communists “have clearly have clearly defined the objectives for each stage of the electoral campaign which will start in December”.

05.11.2013 Struggle against the impunity of Svetlahorsk police continues

Appeals of human rights defenders of “Viasna” forced the prosecutor of the Svetlahorsk district Uladzimir Tarasenka to cancel the decision not to institute criminal proceedings in connection with the death of the Svetlahorsk resident Aliaksandr Akulich at the detention of facility of the Svetlahorsk District Police Department.

05.11.2013 Heads of the Embassies of EU countries visit Kurapaty and Trastsianets

On 5 November the heads of the Embassies of the European Union and the Charge d' Affaires of the United States of America to the Republic of Belarus visited Kurapaty and Trastsianets, mass graves of victims of the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century.

05.11.2013 Hrodna: court “wall” seems impenetrable

Hrodna Regional Court considered the appeal of the human rights defenders Viktar Sazonau, Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Raman Yurhel against the verdict of the Leninski District Court of Hrodna concerning the refusal of the Hrodna City Executive Committee to hold a picket in support of Ales Bialiatski on 4 August. On 23 September the Leninski District Court Judge Zhana Krauchanka, ignoring clear violations on the part of the authorities, ruled that the city executive committee didn't violate the law by its ban on the mass event. The human rights activists disagree with this verdict and seek the justice.

05.11.2013 Homel resident appeals the prohibition of a picket in support of Ales Bialiatski

A resident of Homel Eduard Neliubovich filed to the Tsentralny District Court an appeal against the actions of the Homel City Executive Committee who prohibited him to hold a rally in support of political prisoner Ales Bialiatski. The activist wanted to hold the mass event on 10 November in order to inform the public about the nomination of Ales Bialiatski for Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. The executive committee didn't authorize the picket.

05.11.2013 Clear-up of members of Free Tarde Union going on at the Tractor Parts and Assemblies Plant

The labor contract wasn't extended for fitter Dzmitry Sakalouski, who has worked at the plant for 11 years. He is convinced that the cause for it is his membership in the Free Trade Union of Belarus.

05.11.2013 Hrodna human rights defenders oppose discrimination

Hrodna human rights defenders Viktar Sazonau, Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Raman Yurhel filed to the Leninski District Court of Hrodna another complaint against the ruling of the Hrodna City Executive Committee dated 4 October and signed by its deputy head Alena Ahei, by which they werre prohibited to hold an informational picket on 10 October 2013.

05.11.2013 Baranavichy: public activists hold a cleanup near the cross in the memory of victims of Stalin's repressions

Following their tradition, representatives of the Baranavichy NGOs organizations and political parties held the cleanup on 2 November 2013, the “Dziady” (“Forefathers Eve”) holiday in the park near the Cross in the memory of victims of Stalinist repressions of 1939-1953, at the intersection of Pirahou and Slalenskaya Streets. Earlier, there was the prison “Kryvoye Kola” (“Crooked Wheel”), where many people were killed, and in 1992 civil society activists set the memorial cross in its place.