The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2013

04.12.2013 Prison solidarity: Bahrain-Belarus

Nabeel Rajab, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Deputy Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), who is in custody in Bahrain, sends his Belarusian counterpart on the International board of FIDH, political prisoner Ales Bialiatski words of solidarity.

04.12.2013 Mahiliou Regional Court dismissed the case against the newspaper “Volny Horad”

On 4 December in Mahiliou the judicial board on civil cases of the Mahiliou Regional Court considered the appeal of the publisher of the newspaper "Volny Horad" Uladzimir Kudrautsau.

04.12.2013 Homel: trials for “Dziady” (“Forefathers Eve”) action

The member of the United Civil Party Uladzimir Shytsikau received a summons to the Navabelitski District Court of Homel for consideration of the administrative case, according to which the head of the division of public order of the Navabelitski District Police Department of Homel, Lieutenant Colonel Henadz Khilkevich accuses him of violating the order of organizing and holding mass events. The trial is scheduled for 10 December.

04.12.2013 Appeal on the case of the association of Baranavichy Ukrainians to be held on 23 December

The head association of Baranavichy Ukrainians "Kobzar" Mikalai Charnavus received a letter from Baranavichy City and District Court, signed by the deputy chairman of the court S. Snezhka and judge M. Selmanovich, in which it is stated that the consideration of his appeal will be held by the Board on Civil Cases of the Brest Regional Court at 11.00 a.m. on 23 December in Savetskikh Pamezhnikau Street, 41.

04.12.2013 Brest Regional Court upholds the ban on a picket in Biaroza

Brest Regional Court dismissed the appeal of human rights defenders from Biaroza, who asked to recognize as illegal the ban on the picket they intended to hold on 4 August, and reverse the decision of the Biaroza District Court, which declared the decision of the Executive Committee lawful.

04.12.2013 State officials continue ignoring the Belarusian language

The deputy head of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Ihar Barysau received an answer in the Russian language to his complaint about the placement of flags of the Russian Federation on the windshields of buses.

04.12.2013 Slonim District Executive Committee has banned 5 pickets already

The official correspondence between the civil activist Ales Masiuk and the executive committee continues, Mr. Masiuk continues filing applications for pickets, whereas the authorities still reject them.

04.12.2013 Brest UCP organization eager to hold a procession in support of the Ukrainian people

Brest regional organization of the United Civil Party filed an application for holding a procession in Lenin Street on 21 December.

03.12.2013 Mikalai Statkevich files another complaint to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations

On 18 November, 2013 a personal communication (complaint) of the former presidential candidate at the 2010 elections Mikalai Statkevich was sent to the UN Human Rights Committee (UN HRC). The interests of Statkevich at the UN HRC are represented by his wife Maryna Adamovich.

03.12.2013 Andrei Paluda: “I choose life!”

The coordinator of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the death penalty in Belarus" Andrei Paluda visited Rome together with the well-known advocate of the world-wide abolition of the death penalty, Uzbek human rights activist Tamara Chikunova, to take part in the events dedicated to the problem of death penalty and human rights violations.

03.12.2013 Local elections to be held 23 March

The date of the local elections was approved by Aliaksandr Lukashenka during a meeting with the head of the Central Commission on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda, Lidziya Yarmoshyna.

03.12.2013 Hrodna journalist gets warned by the prosecutor's office

Hrodna Regional Prosecutor's Office issued an official warning to independent journalist Ales Dzianisau, also known as a rock-musician. Conversation with Dzianisau was held by the deputy head of the department of Hrodna Regional Prosecutor's Office, Valery Paviadaika. The warning concered the work of the journalist on the Day of commemoration of the rebels of 1863 in the town of Svislach, held at the end of October.

03.12.2013 Specialists of the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have prepared proposals on amendments to the Education Code

There is a possibility that the next year the Education Code will be amended. It will be done after holding the monitoring based on the existing problems in this sphere.

02.12.2013 Statement of BAJ on the Outbreak of Violence against Journalists in Ukraine

The Belarusian Association of Journalists expresses solidarity and support to our colleagues who are now trying to cover as broadly as possible the current events in Ukraine. We are indignant at the violent actions against our colleagues who perform their professional duties.

02.12.2013 Lawyer Pavel Sapelka greets German colleagues at human rights forum in Berlin

On 29 November in Berlin the German Bar Association (DAV) held a Forum on human rights. Among those invited to this event was a representative of Belarus, a lawyer and attorney Pavel Sapelka.