17.08.2011 Homel inhabitant arrested for speaking Belarusian at bank

Vasil Takarenka visited “Belprambudbank” to buy foreign currency needed for his 12-year-old son’s vacations.

04.03.2010 Spoiled holiday

The students who had taken part in the festival of the Belarusian language were made to write explanatory notes concerning the event. It was the first year when the festival was organized officially.

21.01.2010 Parents of Belarusian-speaking schoolboy struggle for their son’s language rights

Two Zhodzina civil activists Aliaksei and Sviatlana Lapitskis continue to struggle for their son’s Belarusian-language education at the local school, after he was for the second time within 4 years ordered to be educated in Russian due to ‘budget deficiency’. They lodged a complaint with the local authorities claiming they failed to guarantee Belarusian-language education of their son Yanka, RFE/RL reports.

07.12.2009 Zhodzina: picket for protection of right to learn in mother-tongue

Zhodzina human rights defenders Aliaksei and Sviatlana Lapitskis applied to the local executive committee for authorization of a picket dated to the 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, they have little hope that their action will be permitted.

23.10.2009 “Young front” activists beaten for Belarusian language

On October 22 in Barysau known persons beat Young Front members Maxim Akhrymenka and Yury Bahdanovich during collection of signatures in support of the Belarusian language.

“We collected signatures among passers-by together, when four unknown people in plainclothes came near us,” Maxim Akhrymenka said to mfront.net website. “They asked whether we are Young Front members, and when we said yes, they started to beat us”.

As said by the young activist, when police patrol saw the fight, policemen turned around and went the other way. Then people in plainclothes disappeared.

13.10.2009 Minsk: detained for chanting ‘Long Live Belarus!’

On 12 October the member of the Conservative-Christian Party BPF Siarhei Kavalenka was detained by the police.

07.10.2009 Belarusian-language program dropped from air on 'Unistar' radio

The leadership of Unistar radio decided to take off the air Viktar Syamashka’s program Novaya Ziamlia, the only Belarusian-language program on this radio that could be heard since 1995, udf.by reports.

14.09.2009 Authorities ban picket for education in Belarusian language

Minsk city executive committee banned the picket ‘Give Belarusian children Belarusian school’ because the action would allegedly hinder the traffic in Banhalor Square. The association of right-wing forces Right Alliance intended to hold the action on 16 September in Druzhby Narodau Park in Banhalor Square.

25.08.2009 Disrespect for Belarusian language not confirmed, says Ministry of Defence

Human rights activists Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich have received a reply to their address to the Ministry of Defence, demanding to put an end to illegal persecution of youth opposition leader Franak Viachorka, currently serving in the army, on account of his using Belarusian. The reply denies any summary punishment was used against Franak Viachorka for using Belarusian, saying he was punished for ‘tactless attitude towards a superior.’

27.07.2009 Human rights activists speak against language discrimination in Belarusian army

Representatives of the Human Rights Center Viasna have addressed Belarusian Minister of Defense and Prosecutor General with a demand to put an end to illegal harassment of Private F.Viachorka and other Belarusian-speaking soldiers for using Belarusian during military service. The appeal says: ‘We, Belarusian human rights activists, have to address you in connection with the information in a number of mass media reporting of threats with criminal prosecution and consequent summary punishment by the command of military unit #48694 to be imposed on Private Franak Viachorka. According to the information we have received the threat of punishment was caused by F.Viachorka’s use of one of the state languages of the Republic of Belarus – the Belarusian language.’

15.07.2009 Zhodzina: liquidation of Belarusian-language education motivated by crisis

Zhodzina town executive committee rules to stop the Belarusian-language program of instruction at the local gymnasium.

13.07.2009 Pressurization of Franak Viachorka in the army

Another pressure campaign has been started in the military unit in Mozyr against a leader of the BPF Youth Franak Viachorka who had been forcibly drafted to the army.

05.06.2009 Baranavichy: human rights activist cannot receive documents in Belarusian language

While inheriting his parents’ house he human rights activist Siarhei Housha applied to the appropriate agencies with the requirement to issue the documents in the Belarusian language. However, instead of doing it the authorities referred to Article #8 of the Law On languages in the Republic of Belarus that lets them issue documents in Belarusian. Housha was also warned that the issue would be considered in court in case Housha would refuse to sign the act of the ordered works. The cashier of Baranavichy technical inventory bureau did not give him the change because he did not agree to write the returned sum in Russian.

25.05.2009 Uladzimir Labkovich: ‘As it turns out, since I use Belarusian, it is my personal problem how to take part in a trial’

The famous Belarusian human rights activist and lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Justice against a judge of Hrodna Regional Court who refused to carry on a court hearing on 21 May in Belarusian. She also refused to provide an interpreter, saying it is the court who decides which language to use. The human rights expert hopes that under the circumstances the verdict of Hrodna Regional Court would be reversed and reconsidered. ‘It is a flagrant and sad fact, for if I were, say, a Vietnamese, they would have surely provided interpreting. As it turns out, since I use Belarusian, it is my personal problem how to take part in a trial,’ says Mr.Labkovich.

04.05.2009 Belarusian Language Society demands that a Belarusian TV channel be established by autumn

In the beginning of April the head of the Belarusian Language Society Aleh Trusau addressed the head of the presidential administration Uladzimir Makei with the request to establish a Belarusian-language TV channel. According to Mr. Trusau, absence of such a channel deprives the citizens of holistic informational space in their native language. Калі да восені не вырашыцца пытанне пра стварэнне беларускамоўнага дзяржаўнага тэлеканала, Таварыства беларускай мовы імя Францішка Скарыны ў верасні пачне збор подпісаў грамадзян пад адпаведным зваротам да ўлады.