The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 9 Oct 2014

09.10.2014 Karel Schwarzenberg: “I can't understand those who, having lived up to the 21st century, advocate the death penalty”

October 8, well-known Czech politician and public figure Karel Schwarzenberg took part in human rights activities together with representatives of the European embassies, members of the Working Group on the Death Penalty in Belarus.

09.10.2014 Court sides with police in Mikalai Charnavus' case

October 8, the Baranavichy City and District Court considered a claim of the entrepreneur Mikalai Charnavus on protection of honor and dignity against actionsof the deputy head of the Baranavichy City PoliceDepartment Eldar Vilchkouski. The court session was led by Judge Volha Apanovich with the assistance of the court clerk Krystsina Hladkikh.

09.10.2014 Pavel Vinahradau sentenced to 15 days of arrest again

The leader of the youth wing of “Tell the Truth”, “Zmena” was sentenced to the arrest term for alleged disorderly conduct in the building of the Maskouski District Police Department of Minsk on October 8.

09.10.2014 “Capital Punishment” visited by the mother of a death row prisoner

A resident of Vialeika Tamara Sialiun, whose son Pavel was executed on a verdict of the Hrodna Regional Court in April 2014, visited the photo exhibition of the journalist Siarhei Balai “Capital Punishment”. The heroines of this photo project are Sviatlana Zhuk, Liubou Kavaliova, Tamara Sialiun, Volha Hrunova and Tamara Chikunova – the mothers, whose children's lives were taken by the state under the guise of anti-human law.

09.10.2014 Football fans harassed on the eve of match with Ukraine

On October 9, Barysau will host a match between the national football teams of Ukraine and Belarus. Meanwhile, the police have reportedly started haunting football fans, some of whom have been sentenced to administrative arrests for "swearing in public".

09.10.2014 Political prisoner Vaskovich to be transferred to penal colony soon

Yauhen Vaskovich, who is serving a seven-year prison term for hooligan actions towards the building of the Babruisk KGB office, will be transferred from the cell-type prison No.4 to the penal colony No. 15 due to the expiry of the three-year term of keeping in the high-security prison. Both corrective institutions are situated in Mahiliou.

09.10.2014 Brest: activists of independent trade union remind about labour rights

Members of the Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry went out to the streets of Brest and handed out several hundreds of leaflets. According to the deputy head of the national TUREI organization, Zinaida Mikhniuk, the action was dated to the International Day for Decent Work and aims to expand the circle of people who are struggling for their rights.

09.10.2014 Human rights activist Tamara Chikunova in Homel: “Our indifference means consent to legalized murder”

On October 8, Homel human rights activists held a meeting within the framework of the Week Against the Death Penalty, which was attended by mothersof those sentenced to death: the founder of the public association "Mothers against the Death Penalty and Torture" (Uzbekistan) Tamara Chikunova, Vileika resident Tamara Sialiun and Homel resident Volha Hrunova. Pavel Sialiun has been executed, Aliaksandr Hrunou is on death row now.

09.10.2014 Hrodna journalists address Prosecutor General

Hrodna independent journalists have filed an open letter to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Aliaksandr Kaniuk. Members "of the Belarusian Association of Journalists" pay attention to the systematic harassment of freelance journalists by the police and the courts.

09.10.2014 Official has been serving a prison term for two years already, but is still “responsible for mass events” in Vitsebsk

Vitsebsk activists are trying to convince the executive committee of the necessity to amend the decision on mass events. The officials respond that it is flawless and meets all legal requirements. However, the official who is mentioned in it is serving a sentence for a bribe.

09.10.2014 Invitation to the public lecture of Tamara Chikunova

Today, October 9, a lecture of the human rights activist Tamara Chikunova, the founder and head of the Uzbek organization "Mothers against the Death Penalty and Torture", will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery of "Goliaths" (Valhahradskaya Street, 4a, metro station “Maskouskaya”).

09.10.2014 International human rights defenders: Belarusian dictator openly supports the death penalty: the only hope is for the civil society (videos)

Chairperson of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty Florence Bellivier and FIDH President Karime Lahidji video addresses on the occasion of the Week against the Death Penalty in Belarus.

09.10.2014 "Capital punishment": intentional murder in the name of law can't be justified (photo, video)

October 7, the presentation of the joint photo project “Capital Punishment” by the photo journalist Siarhei Balai and the campaign "Human Rights Defenders Against the Death Penalty in Belarus" took place in Minsk.