News on the topic: political persecution
06.09.2007 Women’s Party ‘Nadzeya’ Faces Liquidation
A preliminary meeting of the sides of the trial at the Supreme Court of Belarus will take place on 12 September.
06.09.2007 Youth Activist Yaraslau Hryshchenia’s Father Threatened with Firing
Human Rights Center Viasna learned that Yaraslau Hryshchenia’s father Siarhei Hryshchenia had been summonsed to the ideology department of Baranavichy plant of constructions and construction details at which he headed a working brigade. The authorities proposed to him to quit the job, because he was a member of an independent trade union and it was incompatible with his position at the plant. Hryshchenia is not a member of any trade union and has a working contract till 2009, but in the case he refuses to leave the job on his own will, the administration threatens to fire him. It is an evident case of pressurization of a person, whose son actively struggles for democratic transformations in Belarus.
06.09.2007 Brest: Court Punishes Two Participants of Meeting with Pavel Seviarynets
On 4 September Maskouski district court of Brest tried two participants of a meeting with Pavel Seviarynets at the local BPF office. Participants of the meeting at which Seviarynets presented his two books were detained and taken to the police station.
06.09.2007 Niasvizh: Criminal Trial against Nasta Azarka Ends with Fine. Detentions outside Court
On 4 September in Niasvizh a Young Front activist Anastasia Azarka was fined 1 240 000 Belarusian rubles (about 600 US dollars). The verdict was issued by judge Maryia Dunayeva. The youth activist was charged with activities on behalf of an unregistered organisation (article 193.1 of the Criminal Code). The prosecutor demanded to fine her 500 15 500 000 Belarusian rubles (about 7 200 US dollars).
06.09.2007 Salihorsk: Criminal Trial over Ivan Shyla Is Accompanied with Detentions and Imprisonments
On 4 September trials over the Young Front activists Ivan Shyla and Nasta Azarka took place in Salihorsk and Niasvizh. The activists were charged under article 193.1 of the Criminal Code (activities on behalf of unregistered organization). Dozens of people gathered near the courts to support the youth activists.
03.09.2007 One Trial for Ivan Shyla Is Not Enough?
Ivan Shyla, an activist of Young Front from Salihorsk, has received a summons to an administrative commission for 5 September.
30.08.2007 Preventive Detention in Aziarets Settlement on the Eve of Lukashenka’s Visit
Today, on 30 August, Zhdanovichy court sentenced an activist of the civil campaign For Freedom! from Aziarets Yauhen Silvanovich to five days of jail. The activist was detained in the evening of 29 August by workers of Zhdanovichy district police department.
30.08.2007 Homel: Youth Activist Declares Dry Hunger-strike
At 2 p.m. on 29 August Chyhunachny district court of Homel sentenced a member of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Kanstantsin Zhukouski to 5 days of jail and 930 000 (about 430 US dollars) rubles fine.
30.08.2007 Minsk City Court Leaves Verdict to Kanstantsin Lukashou in Force
In the evening of 28 August Minsk city court left unchanged the verdict to Kanstantsin Lukashou, two years of conditional imprisonment for alleged resistance to the police.
30.08.2007 Criminal Cases Can Be Brought against More Young Front Members
The prosecutor’s office of Baranavichy has brought a criminal case on the fact of making political graffiti on the walls of Baranavichy city court.
28.08.2007 Pavel Seviarynets Is Allowed to Have Radio, but Prohibited to Meet with Mother
On 19 August the youth leader Pavel Seviarynets was detained in Brest during presentation of his book Letters from Forest. On 22 August he was sentenced to 15 days of jail.
28.08.2007 Aliaksei Shydlouski in Jail again
On 27 August the police detained a youth leader Aliaksei Shydlouski and took him to the remand jail in Akrestin Street in Minsk.
24.08.2007 Youth Activist Pavel Baranouski Fined for Posting Stickers
Pershamaiski district administrative commission of Minsk has fined the youth activist Pavel Baranouski 186 000 rubles for posting stickers. This was qualified as violation of paragraph 46 of the Rules of Well-keeping and maintenance of the city of Minsk. In the commission’s ruling it was stated that ‘Baranouski does not deny the fact of violation. He has explained that he had posted stickers because he wanted Belarus to be a part of Europe.’
24.08.2007 Amnesty International Expresses Its Concern with Persecution of Youth Activists in Belarus
Amnesty International is deeply concerned by reports that the harassment, detention and imprisonment of youth activists by the Belarusian authorities has intensified in recent weeks. The organization believes that the clampdown forms part of the government’s continuing attempts to intimidate and obstruct youth activists, and civil society as a whole, from exercising their rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression.
23.08.2007 Tatsiana Seviarynets Refused of Rehabilitation at Work
At court she tried to prove that she had a signed absence leave for 26-31 March, when she was absent from work. Tatsiana’s proxy Kastus Seviarynets drew that attention of the College Board to the fact that the administration of the district education department had used the inaccuracies existing in some acts of labor legislation in order to fire an opposition-minded teacher. Tatsiana Seviarynets also considers her firing politically motivated, because the chair of the district education department many times reproached her for oppositional views.
