The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for August 2014

19.08.2014 Niasvizh resident fined for solidarity with Ukraine

Natallia Bordak must pay the fine that was earlier cancelled.

19.08.2014 Journalists in Mahiliou face administrative charges

Local freelance journalists, Ales Burakou and Mikhail Arshynski, are accused of collaborating with foreign media that do not have accreditation in Belarus.

19.08.2014 Homel activist supplements complaint to UN Human Rights Committee with new facts

Coordinator of the youth network of the independent trade union of radio-electronic industry Andrei Stryzhak complained to the UN Human Rights Committee against a ban imposed by officials in Rechytsa on a peaceful assembly that was scheduled for September 8, 2013 and was expected to protest against the decision of the Belarusian government to abolish sick leave payments for parents raising children.

19.08.2014 Berlin students: Young Belarusians have to fight for their rights and not to lose hope (photos)

Three students of the Free University of Berlin, one of Germany’s largest universities, came to Vilnius to meet with the participants of the Summer Human Rights School, as well as with students from the Vilnius-based European Humanities University. Elena Gettsel, Satik Agekyan and Elena Pulich chose Belarus as the subject of their research at the Institute for East European Studies, which, according to them, is a rare option. Meanwhile, this choice was suggested by a circumstance that impressed them so much – until today the Belarusian state punishes its people with death, disregarding the right to life. During their meeting with the Belarusian youth, the issue of the death penalty was in the center of the discussion of the problems of human rights in Belarus.

19.08.2014 Ukraine: The Forgotten Victims

The human rights situation in Ukraine is alarming. Civilians are caught in the conflict between the Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian armed groups mainly in the East of the country. They are also abducted or arbitrarily detained, tortured, threatened and subjected to discrimination, especially in Crimea.

19.08.2014 OSCE media freedom representative concerned about ban on journalist from entering Crimea

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the deteriorating media freedom situation in Crimea following the decision of the de-facto Crimean authorities to ban journalist Ismet Yuksel from entering the peninsula.

19.08.2014 OSCE/ODIHR Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders: Time for a genuine implementation across all the OSCE area and beyond

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH (the International Federation for Human Rights) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), welcomes the launch of the Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on June 10, 2014 under the Swiss Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Bern, and calls for a genuine implementation by all OSCE Participating States.

18.08.2014 Dominican walls: last resting place before execution

The death penalty becomes widespread during suppressing of uprisings and revolutions. So it was during the uprising under the leadership of Kastus Kalinouski when Russian courts sentenced 128 rebels to death, and the Governor-General of the North-Western Territory (present-day Belarus) Mikhail Muravyov was nicknamed “hangman”. The rebels were executed by a firing squad or by hanging, according to a special law.

18.08.2014 Political prisoner Vaskovich cannot receive books

Three books, which his mother sent him to prison, were returned.

18.08.2014 Most Ukrainian citizens in favor of early parliamentary elections

The overwhelming majority of Ukrainian citizens, 72%, are in favor of holding early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the UNIAN news agency said quoting Yevhen Kopat’ko of Research & Branding Group, a Ukrainian non-governmental marketing and sociological research company, referring to the results of a study conducted between July 28 and August 7.

18.08.2014 Spadchyna NGO takes fresh attempt to register

Civil society activists of Biaroza and Lida are going to resume their efforts to register local cultural and educational association Spadchyna (“Heritage”).

18.08.2014 Former candidate in Brest files lawsuit to demand list of home voters

Chairperson of the Brest office of the Belarusian Party of the Left “Fair World”, Liudmila Dzenisenka, is trying to find out who voted at their residence in constituency No. 13, where she was running for the Brest City Council in this year’s local elections.

18.08.2014 Activist asks Minister of Justice to cancel illegitimate decisions by administrative commission

Alena Marchanka, a resident of the village Damamerychy, Klimavichy district, was received on August 15 by the Minister of Justice Aleh Slizheuski and personally asked him to address numerous violations allegedly committed by the Klimavichy district executive committee.

18.08.2014 Support human rights defender Intigam Aliyev!

Intigam Aliyev, an international expert in the field of human rights and head of the Legal Education Society, who is under arrest in Azerbaijan, is the nominee of the contest “Hero of the Caucasus-2013”.

15.08.2014 Human rights activists urge Ukrainian authorities to define legal status of members of volunteer battalions

After the end of hostilities, members of volunteer battalions risk to becoming involved in criminal cases. Indeed, their status depends entirely on the position of the authorities. To avoid this risk, human rights defenders propose to consider legalization battalions by law.