News on the topic: human rights
06.12.2016 FIDH concerned over upcoming constitutional referendum in Kyrgyzstan
The stability of the Constitution is the most important condition for a state’s development, a robust rule of law, and guarantees of compliance with human rights and freedoms.
05.12.2016 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: November 2016
Enforcement of the three recent death sentences is a major negative trend of the month, as it demonstrates the apparent reluctance of the official Minsk to abolish the death penalty in the near future.
25.11.2016 Belarus’ efforts to uphold democratic values are “insufficient”, MEPs say
MEPs say that Belarus’ progress in upholding democratic values is “insufficient” in a resolution voted on Thursday. They note that Belarus is taking new political prisoners, harassing the opposition, using capital punishment, and failing to address safety concerns about its first nuclear power plant, being built in Ostrovets.
08.11.2016 828 citizens of Belarus sign joint appeal to UN Special Rapporteur Miklós Haraszti
828 citizens of Belarus have signed a joint appeal to Miklós Haraszti, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. The appeal has been authored by the campaigns “For a Fair Trial in Belarus” and “Mothers’ Movement 328” who seek the review of a number of illegal court decisions.
04.11.2016 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: October 2016
The court sentences against Paliyenka and Palchys did not change Viasna’s evaluation of their criminal cases, but at the same time, we welcome the moderation shown by the Belarusian authorities and the application of penalties not related to deprivation of liberty.
04.11.2016 Joint position of human rights defenders on adoption of plan to implement UN recommendations
Joint Position of Belarusian Human Rights Organizations on Adoption of Interagency Plan of Implementation of Recommendations for Belarus from UN mechanisms
29.10.2016 UN Special Rapporteur Haraszti notes 'very few positive developments' in Belarus
MIKLÓS HARASZTI, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, discussing his findings, said that while had been only very few positive developments, one of them was the signing of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
27.10.2016 Belarus adopts plan to implement UN recommendations on human rights
The Council of Ministers has adopted an interagency action plan to implement recommendations made within the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), BelaPAN said.
04.10.2016 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: September 2016
The key negative trend of September were new cases of arbitrary detention of political activists. It should be noted that this type of detention had not been applied by the Belarusian authorities since August 2015.
26.09.2016 Viasna leader: Authorities oppose human rights defenders fighting for truth and justice
Courts and prosecutors are often used by the authorities to fight their political opponents and human rights defenders, Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, said at a side-event entitled “The post-Soviet Judiciary: a tool for administration of justice or a tool of oppression? Lack of independence of the judiciary and prosecution of HRDs in the Eastern part of the OSCE area” held on September 23 in the framework of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.
23.09.2016 Ales Bialiatski: Civilian control prevents government from downplaying problems
On September 22, Belarusian human rights defenders arranged a side event at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw to report on the results of parliamentary elections held in the country on September 11.
21.09.2016 EU insists on reinstatement of former political prisoners’ civil and political rights
“In 2015 the overall human rights situation in Belarus remained marked by systematic human rights violations,” says the Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world approved by the EU Council on September 20.
02.09.2016 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: August 2016
On July 14, the law enforcement officers detained Uladzimir Kondrus, a resident of the town of Rudziensk, Minsk region. Kondrus was taken into custody and charged under Part 2, Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (rioting). On August 10, the country’s leading human rights organizations issued a statement to recognize Uladzimir Kondrus a political prisoner and to demand his release.
29.08.2016 Greek academic and activist Dimitris Christopoulos elected FIDH President
Dimitris Christopoulos has been elected President of FIDH. He succeeds Iranian lawyer Karim Lahidji who headed the international human rights NGO for the last three years. The vote was held during the 39th FIDH Congress in Johannesburg where its 178 member organisations from 120 countries were gathered to elect the new International Board and determine the main orientations for the next three years.
24.08.2016 Ales Bialiatski: Russia rapidly returning to Soviet Union, which inevitably affects its neighbors
Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, spoke yesterday at FIDH Congress in Johannesburg as part of a session entitled “Invoking morals, religious or traditional values to build a new world order: States opposing human rights principles”.
