News on the topic: criminal prosecution
24.12.2020 The wave of new criminal cases against CSOs in Belarus is growing
Criminal charges and related investigations, searches and arrests have become the most serious problem for CSOs in Belarus now.
24.12.2020 HRDs demand to release political prisoner Natallia Hershe
Joint statement of Belarusian human rights organizations
23.12.2020 European Federation of Journalists condemns government attack on Belarus Press Club
Yulia Slutskaya, the founder of the Belarus Press Club, who is also a member of the board of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), was detained on Tuesday on her arrival at Minsk International Airport. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands her immediate release.
23.12.2020 Statement on sentencing of political prisoners Aliaksei Ramanau and Mikalai Charniauski
Belarusian human rights defenders call to decriminalize defamation, put an end to judicial harassment and release all political prisoners convicted of slandering or insulting officials or the president, as well as insulting state symbols
22.12.2020 Three protesters convicted in traffic obstruction trial
The Lieninski District Court of Minsk ruled today to sentence Volha Klaskouskaya to two years in prison on charges of “blocking vehicular traffic” during a demonstration on October 13. Two more defendants, Artur Bulauski and a minor Maksim Babich, were sentenced to two and a half and three years of restricted liberty (“home imprisonment”).
22.12.2020 New godparents for Belarusian political prisoners
Members of the European Parliament and German Bundestag take over godparenthood for Viachaslau Sheliamet, Hleb Fitsner, Yan Salanovich, Yana Arabeika, Artur Khalimonchyk and Siarhei Kapanets
22.12.2020 Tsikhanouskaya and Coordination Council members facing new charges of creating an extremist group
The Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a criminal case targeting former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and members of the opposition Coordination Council over their alleged involvement in the creation of an extremist group (Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code), according to the authority’s website.
19.12.2020 German MPs take over godparenthood for Eduard Palchys, Dzmitry Kubarau and Maksim Babich
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Nils Schmid (SPD), Carl-Julius Cronenberg (FDP) and Lukas Köhler (FDP) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus.
19.12.2020 Artsiom Sarokin is new political prisoner
Joint statement by Belarusian human rights organizations
17.12.2020 Members of the Swiss National Council take over godparenthood for professor Volha Filatchankava and student Uladzislau Martsinovich
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Céline Widmer (SP) and Jon Pult (SP) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus.
17.12.2020 Immediately release political prisoners Tsikhan Kliukach and Safiya Malashevich
Statement by the human rights organizations of Belarus
17.12.2020 100 godparents for political prisoners in Belarus
Cem Özdemir, Member of the Bundestag and former long-time leader of Alliance 90/The Greens, is the 100th MP who takes over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus, symbolically adopting journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich.
17.12.2020 Amnesty International: Witness in police killing of protester faces life sentence
Belarusian authorities are attempting to cover up the killing of a peaceful protester by police by bringing serious criminal charges against a key witness, Amnesty International said.
16.12.2020 One more defamation sentence: Man with cancer gets one year in prison for “insulting” Lukashenka
The Chojniki District Court sentenced today a disabled resident of Homieĺ to 12 months in a penal colony for “publicly insulting the president” at an election rally on July 28.
15.12.2020 Two more persons convicted for "insulting" police officers
Yury Karnilovich, a 31-year-old welder at the MAZ automotive manufacturer, was sentenced today to three years in an open-type penal colony (so called “khimiya”) for allegedly insulting former Interior Minister Yury Karayeu in a comment on YouTube. The sentence is the heaviest possible penalty provided by the charge.
