News on the topic: freedom of peaceful assembly
14.01.2008 Detained Demonstrators Tortured by Cold and Hunger
On 12 January human rights and youth organizations managed to bring food parcels to most of the convicted participants of the protest rally which was held on 10 January in Minsk. At 10 a.m. relatives and friends of arrested formed a queue near the entrance of the prison.
14.01.2008 Entrepreneur Aliaksandr Makayeu Arrested after Meeting with Police Official
On 12 January Aliaksandr Makayeu, leader of entrepreneurs’ movement, was detained in the center of Minsk just after he left the building of the Minsk city executive committee, where he had a meeting with Aliaksandr Naidzenka, deputy head of Minsk city police department. At the meeting they discussed the conditions in which those who had been detained on 10 January were kept on Akrestin Street.
14.01.2008 Brest: Solidarity of Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs from Brest expressed their solidarity with the demands made at the protest demonstration in Minsk and decided on continuing the strike until all people, sentenced to arrest on 10 January, are released.
14.01.2008 Details of Beatings after Entrepreneurs’ Actions
All arrested participants of the protest rally against the economic policy of the government towards small business in Belarus held on January 10 in Minsk have been taken to Akrestsin Street prison.
14.01.2008 Entrepreneur Harbachou Fined after Justification
The court of Barysau region, which earlier acquitted Viktar Harbachou, the leader of the campaign ‘For free development of entrepreneurship’, has reopened the case on petty hooliganism charges. Thus, the court cancelled its decision, BelaPAN was informed by V.Harbachou.
14.01.2008 EU Condemns Arrests of Protesters
The Council of the European Union condemns the crackdown on the entrepreneurs’ demonstration, arrests and using force towards the protesters. Christina Gallach, spokeswoman of the EU High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Security, said it. ‘We condemn arrests and sentences to the people detained. We regard each of them as politically motivated one,’ the spokeswoman said.
11.01.2008 Barysau: Police Interrogate Activist Aleh Lyska
In the morning of 11 December the activist of the trade union movement Aleh Lyska was summonsed to Barysau district police department. In the interview with Radio Liberty he said that the police tried to accuse him in organization of the meeting of entrepreneurs which took place on 10 December in the center of Minsk.
11.01.2008 List of Persons Detained at Meeting of Entrepreneurs in Minsk
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11.01.2008 Rechytsa: Aleh Shabetnik Arrested for 5 Days
On 10 January the detained entrepreneur Aleh Shabetnik was tried. Judge Iryna Iulichava found him guilty of petty hooliganism and sentenced him to five days of arrest and fined him 700 000 rubles (about 326 US dollars).
11.01.2008 Details of 10 December Anatol Liabedzka’s Arrest
The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka was detained after the protest of market vendors. The arrest took place in a bus. At the bus stop near the Central Post office Anatol and 5 more protesters entered the bus. Riot policemen in black followed them instantly.
11.01.2008 Hunger-strike against Unfair Verdicts
6 participants of the protest action of individual entrepreneurs, who were guarded to trial to Maskouski district court of Minsk, went on hunger strike.
11.01.2008 Police Beat Protesters
Vera Stramkouskaya, lawyer of the detained on 10 January participants of the entrepreneurs’ action, demanded to call an emergency ambulance to Tsentralny district court of Minsk. 5 activists were guarded to the court, all of them have injuries.
10.01.2008 Minsk: Meeting of Entrepreneurs Is Watched by Riot Police
About 1 000 entrepreneurs gathered in Kastrychnitskaya Square of Minsk. Among them there are politicians Siarhei Kaliakin, Aliaksandr Milinkevich, Ales Mikhalevich and Mikola Statkevich. The police warned the people that the procession to the presidential administration is banned. Then the meeting participants defined delegates who went to the administration for negotiations.
10.01.2008 Rechytsa: Police Provocation against Entrepreneur Aleh Shabetnik
According to an activist of the BPF Party Valery Putsitski, at about 9.15 p.m. he met with Aleh Shabetnik, after which Shabetnik intended to go home. ‘In Karl Marx Street, not far from Shabetnik’s home, he was approached by the local police inspector, who accused him of dirty swearing and guarded to the district police department. There the policemen explained that he was walking on the street and saw a well-dressed man (it was Shabetnik – BelaPAN). The policeman decided to escort the man home so that he would not be offended by any hooligans on the way, but the latter allegedly blankly refused and insulted the policeman with ‘dirty swearing’.
10.01.2008 Entrepreneurs Detained on the Way to Minsk Action
In the morning of 10 January near the village of Samakhvalavichy the road police stopped a minibus with the activists of the campaign For Free Development of Business Aliaksandr Tsatsura and Viktar Kryval and their families. This information was given to BelaPAN by an activist of the entrepreneurs’ movement Mikalai Pakhabau.
