05.11.2008 Procuracy demands explanations from entrepreneurs

On 4 November the leader of the association For Free Development of Business Viktar Harbachou was summoned to the procuracy of Barysau and Barysau region.

03.11.2008 Expelled pupil Ivan Shyla is not rehabilitated at school

The judge Volha Prakapovich turned down the suit of Ivan’s father Uladzimir Shyla for finding the expulsion of his son from Salihorsk secondary school #4 illegal.

31.10.2008 Underage activist intimidated by distrainment

Recently an underage activist of Lida branch of the Young Front Raman Tunkel was visited by officers of the court. They threatened to his parents to distrain property.

They promise to do so for non-payment of the fine on the administrative case, the website of the Young Front informs.

As we have informed, in July the 17-year-old Raman Tunkel was detained when he was making graffiti “There is no stopping to Young Front!” An administrative report was drawn up against the activist on charges relating Article 10.9 “intentional destruction or voluntary waste of property”. The court sentenced the young man to 30 basic units of fine (1,050,000 Br), and additional 260,000 Br for repainting of the building.

15.10.2008 Krow: ‘Black lists have just changed their color’

Rapper Krow from Chyrvonym pa Bielamu band states that black lists have not disappeared, they… have just changed their color. ‘There are no blacklists any more, there are brown ones instead. Only some chosen persons, who have ‘repented’ have been crossed out from the lists that existed earlier,’ concluded the singer after sending his recordings to one of Belarusian radio stations.

06.10.2008 Authorities extend ‘black lists’

Some activists of the democratic movement have faced with foreign travel restrictions and the surnames of some more have been introduced into the lists for being searched on the border. The persons to whom such measures are applied cannot receive an answer about the reasons.

01.10.2008 Alexander Chyhir starts serving arrest

On 1 October a public activist from Babruisk Ales Chyhir starts serving his 10-days’ arrest. He has been sentenced to this punishment within the frames of a criminal case that had been brought against him after an incident with a taxi driver. On 29 May the driver was driving Alexander, his wife and daughter home. The driver refused to issue a receipt to Chyhir and drove the passenger to the police station instead. There Mr. Chyhir was charged with threats to the driver, damage of the car and insubordination to the police. Though beaten by the police, Chyhir was found guilty and sentenced to ten days of jail. Despite the fact that the case was considered in summer, the politician is imprisoned only now.

15.09.2008 KGB ‘checks’ workers of Institute of History

In the second half of August and in the beginning of September KGB officers held a ‘voluntary’ questioning of workers of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus in connection with the 4 July explosion in Minsk. The ‘questioning’ was conducted in the working time. The KGB workers occupied the scientists’ offices and working places for it. Those who refused to participate in these measures are threatened with dismissal.

15.09.2008 Human rights center

A document entitled ‘Decision for provision of civil security and road safety in Brest oblast during preparation and holding of the elections of deputies to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the fourth convocation’, signed by the head of the head of the internal affairs department of Brest oblast executive committee, lieutenant-colonel V.Krasnichenka, and agreed with the head of Brest oblast KGB department L.Dziadkou and the procurator of Brest oblast, senior justice advisor S.Khmaruk.

09.09.2008 Drahichyn: pressurization of oppositional candidate’s proxy

Yury Litvinau was a proxy of a candidate from the Belarusian Union of military officers at Dnepra-Buhskaya electoral constituency #10 Mikalai Tkachuk, but had to refuse from working in the candidate’s team because of pressurization at work. He wrote the statement about cessation of his participation in the initiative group of Mikalai Tkachuk on his request – the candidate felt pity for the family of his army friend.

05.09.2008 Mahiliou: youth activists are expelled from university

The coordinator of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Tatsiana Shambalava and a leader of Mahiliou organization of the Young Front Rastsislau Pankratau are expelled from Mahiliou State University.

05.09.2008 Minsk: ‘Young Front’ activist Vadzim Kaniauka is detained

On 5 September in Minsk the police detained the Young Front activist Vadzim Khanyauka.

04.09.2008 ‘Case of 14’: personal restraint or home arrest?

This year 14 persons were accused of organization of mass riot at the protest action of entrepreneurs which was held on 21 January. One of them, Andrei Kim, was also accused of threatening with violence to a policeman and was sentenced to 1,5 years of jail. Two more, Anton Koipish and Uladzimir Siarheyeu, were punished with fines. One person remains abroad and therefore still has not received any punishment. The rest of the 14 were sentenced to different terms of personal restraint.

04.09.2008 Anatol Liabedzka’s apartment is seized for non-payment of fine for European March

On 3 September the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka received a notice saying the court of the Tsentralny district of Minsk seized his apartment, allegedly for his failure to pay penalty for participation in organizing the European March mass action which had was held in Minsk on 14 October 2007.

03.09.2008 Ministry of Justice demands that BPF remove white-red-flag from headquarters entrance

The central office of the Belarusian Popular Front was visited by a consultant of the department of non-governmental organization of the Ministry of Justice Alexander Kharyton.

15.08.2008 Homel: procuracy upholds dismissal from work for oppositional pretender for candidate

One of the tendencies of electoral campaign’2008 is that potential candidates that are not nominated by the regime are threatened with dismissal from work or even dismissed. The law enforcing agencies usually close their eyes to such actions. One of the latest exampled is the reaction of the procuracy to the dismissal threats received by a pretender for candidate at Buda-Kashaliova constituency Kanstantsin Zhukouski.