The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2014

18.12.2014 Maryna Adamovich visits Mikalai Statkevich in prison

The wife of the political prisoner was allowed to make two hours' conjugal visit with her husband in Mahileu prison. Maryna Adamovich, the wife of the former candidate for presidency in Belarus Mikalai Statkevich, told about it in her interview to "Radio Svaboda".

18.12.2014 Minsk Regional Court sides with European Belarus activist

Judge Huchok of the Minsk Regional Court has considered an appeal by Salihorsk activist of the European Belarus opposition movement Uladzimir Lemesh and ruled to cancel the decision of the Salihorsk District Court and send the case for retrial to another judge.

18.12.2014 Mahiliou police admit slander against BSDP deputy chairman

However, in order to find the offenders and bring them to justice, Ihar Barysau was advised to file a claim in Ukraine, where the website voskresinfo.com is located, which posted several offensive articles about the social democrat.

18.12.2014 Journalist in Biaroza fined over work without accreditation

Independent journalist Tamara Shchapiotkina has been sentenced to a fine of 4.5 mln rubles. Commenting on the decision of the judge, the journalist said that the court had received orders from the security services.

18.12.2014 Lohvinau Bookstore Faces a Huge Fine

A three-day tax inspection was held in the bookstore of Lohvinau. The Ministry on Taxes and Duties concluded that book products had been sold there without the obligatory state registration as a book distributor with the Ministry of Information.

18.12.2014 Political prisoner Eduard Lobau released

Political prisoner Eduard Lobau has been released from penal colony No. 22 in Ivatsevichy. He was met by his family and associates at about 8 a.m. this morning.

17.12.2014 Minsk police uphold decision to expel Alena Tankachova

Thus, the Ministry of the Interior did not use the opportunity to recognize the absurdity of the situation related to the expulsion of the Belarusian human rights activist, according to eurobelarus.info.

17.12.2014 “Human Rights Defenders Against the Death Penalty in Belarus” under patronage of Lithuanian MP

According to Dalia Kuodyte, member of Parliament of Lithuania, she will patronize the campaign “Human Rights Defenders Against the Death Penalty in Belarus” with the intent to distribute information about this issue in the framework of her powers.

17.12.2014 Situation of Human Rights in Belarus in November 2014

November was marked by a tendency of deterioration of the human rights situation. Intensive contacts between the Belarusian authorities and the European Union, its institutions and individual countries, as well as the United States did not lead to specific improvements in this area.

17.12.2014 Historian Svyatlana Kul-Syalvyorstava dismissed from Hrodna university

The labour contract with Svyatlana Kul-Syalvyorstava was not extended because of “not sufficient number of publications”.

17.12.2014 Zaleuski: State makes journalists work illegally

Independent journalist Ales Zaleuski received a warning from a prosecutor after two fines.

17.12.2014 Websites equated to mass media in Belarus

The authorities can completely block any website.

17.12.2014 Russian Supreme Court puts off hearing of suit against Society Memorial

Russia’s Supreme Court has postponed to January 28 the hearing of the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice demanding the dissolution of the Russian historical and educational society “Memorial”. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice said they did not have enough time to read the documents for the correction of errors found in the activities of the NGO, according to the website of Radio Liberty’s Russian service.

17.12.2014 FIDH celebrates 35th anniversary of CEDAW Convention

To mark the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the international Convention on the Elimination of all forms of DiscriminationAagainst Women (CEDAW), on 18 December 2014, FIDH launches a series of original and creative tools designed by students at the Paris School of Decorative Art. Today, this universal instrument, which has already contributed to enormous gains for women’s rights across the world, remains as relevant as ever.

17.12.2014 Human rights defender Pavel Levinau fined 3.75 mln rubles

Pavel Levinau requested that the trial be postponed due to his illness. But Judge Alena Tsyhankova of the Vitsebsk Chuhunachny District Court considered the request as an attempt to delay the trial. She rejected all the requests by Pavel Levinau and issued two formal warnings for the fact that there were “too many” of them.