Schedule of Events during the Week Against the Death Penalty

Human Rights Week against the Death Penalty in Belarus this year is expanding its geography to the neighboring countries. From 5 to 10 October, a number of events will be held in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.


Schedule of Events

October 5 in Chernihiv, a discussion on the death penalty will take place at the discussion club "Expert Opinion" in Polubotko Str., 6A together with a film view and the opening of an exhibition of topical posters by a Belarusian artist from Vilnius, Aleh Ablazhei. The event begins at 5 p.m. The work of the exhibition will continue at the Educational Human Rights House. The guest of the event is Liubou Kavaliova, whose son, Uladzislau Kavaliou, was executed by shooting in 2012.

October 7 in Vilnius, the discussion “Murder on Verdict”, organized by the Belarusian Human Rights House names after Barys Zvoskau and the international NGO Freedom House, will take place at the Museum of Genocide Victims in Aukų Str. 2. The event begins at 4 p.m.

The discussion will address the issues of extrajudicial execution in Belarus: human rights activist Raisa Mikhailouskaya will tell about the unexplained disappearances of political opponents of President Aliaksandr Lukashenka and the investigation of enforced disappearances. During the discussion, there will also be held the premiere of the film cycle "Six Arguments against the Death Penalty" with the participation of its director Viktar Tratsiakou, screenwriter Palina Stsepanenka and the coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus” Andrei Paluda. The discussion will be moderated by Vytis Jurkonis, project director of Freedom House in Lithuania.

October 8 in Warsaw, Belarusian House in Wiejska Str., 13/3 organizes a discussion and the viewing of the film “Cause of Death Left Blank” with the participation of the human rights activist Volha Salamatava. The event begins at 6 p.m. During the event, there will also be held a video-conference with Liubou Kavaliova.

October 9 in Minsk, at “Art-Siadziba” (“Art-Manor”) in Niezaliežnasci Ave. 58-430 there will be held a press-conference of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”, during which the book “Death Penalty in Belarus” will be discussed. The event begins at 11 a.m. The event will be attended by the campaign coordinator Andrei Paluda and the representatives of “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski and Valiantsin Stefanovich. The honorary guests are representatives of the European countries participating in the Coalition against the death penalty in Belarus.

October 10 in Kharkiv, the local branch of the Foundation of Regional Initiatives will held a discussion and the viewing of the film “Six Arguments against the Death Penalty” and the animations created in the framework of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus".

In Almaty, the exhibition of posters dedicated to the issue of the death penalty in Belarus will start its work on the World Day against the death penalty with the support of Freedom House Kazakhstan.

The Human Rights Center "Viasna" invites everyone to join this large-scale action and actively use the events posters, designed specifically for the Week.

You can download the posters at this link.

Let us remind that the first Week against the Death Penalty was held by the HRC “Viasna” in 2013 within the framework of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus". The campaign was launched in 2009 with the aim to achieve the elimination of this inhumane kind of penalty and accession of our country to the European values. Unfortunately, Belarus remains the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union where the death penalty is still imposed and enforced.