The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2014

07.02.2014 Anarchy in Mahiliou detention center

The head of this institution Krasnou can not establish who is kept in the same cells with the people who are convicted for administrative offenses. This follows from his response to an activist of the United Civil Party Anton Kastsou, who was serving a three-night arrest for organizing protests against the introduction of a new tax on motor cars, "Stop Tax".

07.02.2014 Biaroza: 43 PECs established in three minutes

43 precinct election commission were established at a meeting of the Biaroza District Executive Committee. Participants of the meeting were handed down the lists of members of the PECs.

07.02.2014 Palitviazni.info: The Chronicles of Belarusian Political Prisoners

Human Rights Center Viasna and Polish organization Foundation for the Development of Democratic Initiatives published book Palitviazni.info: The Chronicles of Belarusian Political Prisoners

07.02.2014 Journalist Threatened after Writing an Article about Presumed Pedophile

The journalist for TUT.by Katsiaryna Siniuk received a threatening SMS after the portal published an article about a criminal case being handled over a businessman possibly involved in debauchery of youth.

06.02.2014 “I will show the documents only at court and only to the judge”

This was the answer given by the head of the department of ideology, culture and youth affairs of the Brest City Executive Committee Aksana Dutchyk to election observer Uladzimir Vialichkin who attended the meeting of the Maskouski District Executive Committee of Brest on formation of precinct election commissions.

06.02.2014 Websites of national executive bodies fail to meet the legal requirements

Monitoring "Government bodies of the Republic of Belarus: 15 years online" was performed lawyers of the Legal Transformation Center (Lawtrend). They studied 45 sites of government agencies and organizations.

06.02.2014 Salihorsk District Court upholds the ban on a Human Rights Day picket

On February 4 the Salihorsk District Court considered the appeal of the socio-political activist Uladzimir Shyla against the nban on his picket, issued by the Salihorsk District Executive Committee.

06.02.2014 Rechytsa: adverse discrimination of activists of “Fair World” during formation of PECs

February 4 a joint meeting of the Rechytsa District Executive Committee and the Rechytsa District Council was conducted to form precinct election commissions. The meeting was attended by election observer Valery Putsitski.

06.02.2014 Chair of Hrodna REC no longer heads the commission, but remains an MP

On February 5 Khotsimsk civil society activist Valery Karankevich received an answer from the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus to his repeated appeal to Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Uladzimir Andreichanka.

06.02.2014 Camera crew briefly detained in Miory

On February 6, in the evening, journalists Siarzhuk Kruchkou, Nasta Reznikava and cameraman Aliaksandr Patseyeu were detained for several hours in the regional town Miory (Vitsebsk region).

06.02.2014 Analytic report “Belarus: Time for Media Reform”

On February 6, an analytic report on media situation in Belarus was presented at the office of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

06.02.2014 Ihar Pastnou: by banning pickets the authorities push people to active protests

The psychiatrist failed to challenge the ban on a picket in memory of victims of police brutality.

05.02.2014 Zhodzina: observer not allowed to attend meeting on creation of PECs

Chairman of Zhodzina City Executive Committee M. Amel'yanchuk answered the formal inquiry of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee about the time and place of the meeting on formation of precinct election commissions with the statement that independent observer Aliaksei Lapitski has no right to attend this event.

05.02.2014 Brest police pressurize participants of electoral pickets

As stated by Chairman of the Brest regional branch of the United Civil Party, Uladzimir Vuyek, the day after the electoral picket of the UCP candidate Dyiana Kastsiukovich, held on January 30, he received a subpoena to the police station.

05.02.2014 Salihorsk: establishment of PECs lacks transparency

Leanid Markhotka, long-term observer of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, states that the electoral process in the Salihorsk district lacks transparency. This is the conclusion he came to after attending the meeting of the Salihorsk District Executive Committee on formation of precinct election commissions, which was held in the morning on February 4 and lasted just 20 minutes.