The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2015

06.07.2015 Ales Bialiatski: Belarusian authorities use Soviet punitive methods

Six political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, including an ex-presidential candidate in the 2010 elections, Mikalai Statkevich. A number of democratic structures united around the initiative of nominating Mr. Statkevich as a candidate in the current presidential elections. This should be a manifestation of solidarity and draw public attention to the problem of political prisoners, who are still pressurized. Recently, Mikalai Dziadok's lawyer wasn't allowed to visit his client, ho is serving his prison term in penal colony No. 9 in Horki. In March, Mikalai was to have been released after serving 4.5 years in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to another year in a penal colony.

06.07.2015 Analytical Report on the results of observation: July 1-5

Observation of the presidential elections of the Republic of Belarus is carried out by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" in the framework of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

06.07.2015 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: June 2015

During the month there were no positive developments in the human rights situation in Belarus. Increased pressure on political prisoners caused particular concern of both Belarusian and international human rights organizations.

04.07.2015 Protest of Chinese workers in Belarus: hundreds of workers come from Dobruš to Homieĺ

July 2 about 200-300 Chinese workers, who are building a paper factory in Dobruš, stopped working. They lined up in columns and headed for Homieĺ, protesting against wage arrears and the fines, imposed by the administration for failing to meet the schedule of the construction works.

04.07.2015 Babrujsk: another member of independent trade union dismissed from TD&A plant

The member of the Free Trade Union of Belarus learned that the plant of Tractor Details and Appliances hadn't renewed the labor contract with him the day before the expiry of the contract, whereas according to the collective agreement the administration was to have warned him a month before it.

04.07.2015 Brest: freelance journalist Ales Liauchuk sentenced to a fine

Ales Liauchuk was charged with being involved in producing an interview with a player of Brest soccer club “Dynamo” Raman Vasiliuk, which had been broadcast at the satellite TV channel “Belsat”.

02.07.2015 Leanid Kulakou detained and released again

As learned by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, an activist of “European Belarus” Leanid Kulakou has been detained again today.

02.07.2015 Luniniec authorities reluctant to accept applications for pickets

The issue was reported by the head of Luniniec district branch of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Vital Kalinouski, who tried to get Luniniec District Executive Committee register his appeals for holding pickets on July 16-17 with the aim to draw people to the team of a potential candidate for president Tatsiana Karatkevich.

02.07.2015 Baranavičy: schoolchildren required to become a "living corridor" on Independence Day

The Department of Education, Sports and Tourism of Baranavičy City Executive Committee strictly ordered the administration of the city's schools to send their pupils to participate in the annual holiday parade of veterans on the Independence Day.

02.07.2015 Baranavičy: civil society activist wants to analyze peculiarities of collecting signatures for Lukashenka's candidacy

June 30, Mikalai Charnavus, a civil society activist from Baranavičy, filed a written appeal for his inclusion in the electioneering team of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The same day he handed the appeal to an officer of the general department of Baranavičy City Executive Committee.

02.07.2015 New obstacles put to political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok

Today, July 2, the lawyer of Mikalai Dziadok didn't manage to meet with him. This was reported to the HRC “Viasna” by Mikalai's father.

02.07.2015 IDPs from Luhansk region: “We want it all to end”

Belarusian human rights activists, who are taking part in the Human Rights Humanitarian Mission in Ukraine, render various kinds of assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the occupied territory – the zone of the anti-terrorist operation, who currently reside in Kharkiv.

Human rights activists: “We want to perceive the statement of the authorities that the elections should go quietly as the absence of human rights violations”

01.07.2015 Human rights activists: “We want to perceive the statement of the authorities that the elections should go quietly as the absence of human rights violations”

July 1, a press-conference, dedicated to the start of the campaign for monitoring the presidential elections in Belarus was held at the office of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

01.07.2015 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Ministry of Information acting like "Ministry of Truth"

As stated by the Information Minister Liliya Ananich, the Ministry of Information tries to teach the owners of Internet resources responsibility in the information space and attentively considers each application of citizens about the work of the media.

01.07.2015 Presidential Administration bounces report on discrimination of Belarusian language

Administration of the President has again left without consideration the report of the Salihorsk BHC representatives regarding the observance of the rights of Belarusian-speaking citizens in the area, which they sent to the office of the President after correcting the formal defects.