The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

07.07.2011 Police beat journalist of Vecherniy Grodno

On 7 July Polina Zhuravlyova, a journalist for the Vecherniy Grodno newspaper, paid a visit to the forensic expertise in order to register her injuries.

05.07.2011 Andrei Kasheuski was kept at Leninski District Police Department for 3 days

On July 4 the Leninski District court of Minsk sentenced Andrei Kasheuski, amember of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, to 10 days of arrest.. He was detained on 1 July for distributing leaflets and was kept at the Leninski District Police Department for 3 days. His mother was informed about it only on the fourth day of the detention.

05.07.2011 May people use self-defence against attacking persons dressed in civilian clothing?

The Movement For Freedom (MFF) addressed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus concerning the following issue: “Numerous facts of assaults of passers-by by unknown citizens have been registered lately in many cities and towns of the country. Persons dressed in civilian clothing (using rude physical force) seize peaceful citizens and (in some cases beating them) push them into cars, minibuses (often without license plates) or riot police’s transport vehicles. After that, they are brought to police stations, where they are informed of the fact that they are detained as part of an administrative judicial process.”

04.07.2011 Forced dispersals of peaceful assemblies by the police are a gross violation of human rights

Statement by the Human Rights Center Viasna

At the time of the peaceful assemblies in Minsk and other Belarusian cities on 22, 29 June 29 and 3 July officers of the Ministry of Interior used physical violence and police gear against peaceful protesters. Mass detentions were conducted: occasional passers-by were detained together with protesters. As a result, hundreds of citizens were drawn to administrative responsibility (including arrest) on false charges of disorderly conduct, the use foul language in public places. The Human Rights Centre Viasna registered numerous cases of illegal use of physical force against detainees, facts of the lawless interference with professional activities of journalists on the part of law-enforcement officers and cases of detention of human rights defenders who monitored the aforementioned events.

04.07.2011 Belarus: chronicle of silent revolution (updated)

According to human rights defenders, about 310 people were detained in different parts of Belarus on 3 July, 160 of them – in Minsk alone. 5 people were detained in Baranavichy, about 30 – in Homel, about 80 – in Hrodna, 15 – in Mahiliou, 6 – in Smaliavichy, 7 – in Vitsebsk, 2 – in Zhlobin.

24.06.2011 Legal Transformation Center releases statement ahead of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

The Legal Transformation Center has released a statement “In support of actions combating torture and other Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” to be submitted to a number of state bodies of Belarus, including the Houses of Parliament, the Constitutional and the Supreme Courts, the Ministries of Defense and Interior Affairs.

16.06.2011 LGBT activist beaten by police

Siarhei Androsenka, activist of the GayBelarus movement, together with two unknown persons was detained by Minsk police during a demonstration last evening.

14.06.2011 Eyewitness tells about beating of participants of protest action at the border crossing point Bruzgi

An eyewitness said that policemen threw the protesters into the paddy wagon and continued to beat them there. The interlocutor of RFE/RL saw at least 10 beaten persons. He said that there were about one hundred of participants in the protest.

06.06.2011 Mahiliou riot police beat spectator at motorbike festival

The recent scandal with tear gas sprayed by ensign Retsikau near the face of a five-year-old child at a football match in Babruisk is still remembered by many. However, the riot police are not going to calm down.

18.05.2011 No punishment for a broken arm

Yan Lahvinovich, who brutally beaten by police on the Square, filed a complaint to a prosecutor’s office in January asking to open a criminal case over his beating.

16.05.2011 Andrei Sannikau was tortured and threatened in KGB prison

On 13 May the trial of Andrei Sannikau, a presidential candidate, continued at the Partyzanski District Court of Minsk. The defendant told about threats of the KGB Chairman Zaitsau (Zajtsev) and about tortures in the KGB remand prison.

05.05.2011 Provocation against journalist Volha Klaskouskaya, sister of political prisoner Aliaksandr Klaskouski

Volha Klaskouskay was taken out of her house in the night time in handcuffs. The police beat hear and tore her blouse when she tried to defend herself. She was taken to the Leninski District Police Department of Minsk barefoot and was kept there till morning. Her relatives managed to pass her clothes and shoes only in the morning.

19.04.2011 Police not named in Maya Abromchyk’s beating case

The prosecutor has informed Maya Abromchyk that a criminal case has been started against a stranger according to her complaint.

18.04.2011 Prisoner Klaskouski: “Mikhalevich’s words about tortures are true”

During the meeting with his wife Natallya, prisoner Alyaksandr Klaskouski confirmed the things Ales Mikhalevich said about the KGB remand prison (“Amerikanka”). The conversation of the prisoner took place during their meeting in the KGB jail, Radio Svaboda informs.