The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

30.01.2015 End-of-Year Websites Blocking Will Stay a Mystery

BAJ received replies from the Ministry of Home Affairs and from the Operative Analytical Center regarding troubles with access to several websites at the end of December.

29.01.2015 BSDP Deputy Chair keeps appealing penalty for transportation of independent publications

On January 28, Ihar Barysau filed a supervisory appeal to the Chairman of the Mahiliou Regional Court to challenge the Court’s decision of August 12, 2014, which fined the activist 30 basic units for transporting independent media – newspaper “Nash Mahiliou” and newsletter “Social Democrat”.

28.01.2015 Freedom House: Belarus is “worst of the worst” in freedom rating

Belarus is ranked in line with Sudan and China.

26.01.2015 Supreme Court upholds warning to Narodnaya Volia

The newspaper can be closed at any moment.

26.01.2015 Information Ministry backs neo-Nazi interview on state TV

Ihar Kazmiarchak, an opposition activist in Orsha, has received a reply to his letter to the Ministry of Information, where he requested to assess the actions of responsible persons who aired an interview with Maksim Martsinkevich, a known supporter of neo-Nazism, on the government-owned STV channel. The letter signed by Deputy Minister suggests that the TV channel only presented “different views”.

22.01.2015 Mahiliou Regional Court turns down appeal by independent newspaper in Krychau

On December 21, the judicial board on civil cases of the Mahiliou Regional Court rejected an appeal of Uladzimir Kudrautsau, the publisher of newspaper Volny Horad, against a decision of the Krychau District Court taken on December 8 at the suit of the chief of department of ideology, culture and youth affairs of the Krychau district executive committee Maryna Maksimava for the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation.

16.01.2015 Mahiliou court dismisses case against security guard who prevented distribution of independent newspaper

On January 15, the Kastrychnitski District Court of Mahiliou held the third hearing in the case against Dzmitry Prokharau, a security guard of the 777 store, who prevented activist Viktar Charavukhin from distributing the Novy Chas newspaper.

15.01.2015 Iosif Siaredzich: Ministry of Information chooses punitive measures

A preliminary hearing in Narodnaya Volia's suit against the Ministry of Information was held in the Supreme Court on January 14.

14.01.2015 “Narodnaya Volia” is at law with Information Ministry over Kalinkina’s article

On January 14 the preliminary court hearing in the case opened by “Narodnaya Volia” newspaper against the Information Ministry will take place.

14.01.2015 Journalist from Brest fined for work without accreditation

Alina Litvinchuk was fined Br5.4 mln.

10.01.2015 Brest: fined journalist challenges court verdict

Freelance journalist Aliaksandr Liauchuk filed an appeal against the verdict of the Leninski District Court of Brest of December 24, according to which he was fined 40 basic units.

08.01.2015 Ministry of Information says it has no powers to interfere in professional activities of the media

Homel human rights activists Maryia Klimovich and Ales Yauseyenka have received a response to their appeal to the Information Ministry. The applicants asked the Ministry to inform the editors of state owned media in any way possible about the inadmissibility of indicating the nationality of perpetrators of crimes and consciously shaping the image of a "criminal nation".

24.12.2014 Brest journalist fined 6 million

The court of Leninski district of Brest fined a journalist from Brest, Ales Lyauchuk, 40 basic units (6 mln rubles).

23.12.2014 BAJ: Statement on the Massive Blocking of Websites

Since December 19, several informational Internet resources in Belarus have been subject to blocking. Most of them remain inaccessible from the territory of the country until now. In particular, users’ access to belapan.com and belapan.by, naviny.by, belaruspartisan.org, charter97.org, udf.by, 21.by, gazetaby.com, zautra.by have been restricted without explanations.