11.09.2009 Alexander Atroshchankau: ‘Detention in police department can’t be called anything but torture’

Alexander Atroshchankau, activist of the civil movement European Belarus, commented on the treatment of detained participants of the action No to Russian Occupation! by police.

10.09.2009 Minsk: opposition’s action ‘No to Russian Occupation!’ ends with brutal beating, detentions and trials

At 7 p.m. on 9 September several dozens of opposition activists came to Kastrychnitskaya Square in the center of Minsk to mark the Belarusian Military Glory Day (8 September) and protest against the joint Russian-Belarusian strategic military exercises Zapad-2009. The Belarusian democrats believe the forthcoming exercises threaten the independence of Belarus. About 6000 out of 12 500 soldiers, involved in the training, are Russians. The political leaders of Russia have stated several times about possible brining Russian troops to Belarus in case of a threat to Lukashenka’s regime.

07.09.2009 Aleh Surhan intends to sue against the police torturers

Aleh Surhan, recently by Vitsebsk police, solicited for bringing a criminal case against the officers who had tortured him at the police station.

04.09.2009 Vitsebsk: oppositionist tortured at police department

Vitsebsk opposition activist Aleh Surhan was tortured at the police department for a white-red-white flag.

15.07.2009 Brest: young anti-fascists sentenced to 6 months of personal restraint

Maskouski district court of Brest sentenced three people to personal restraint for alleged initiation of a fight in a bus. Representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Brest state that the case was controlled by the KGB.

08.07.2009 Baranavichy: legal lynching of beaten entrepreneur Volha Minko

On 6 July the court of Baranavichy and Baranavichy district considered the administrative case against the entrepreneurs Volha Minko, brought under Article 23.4 of the Administrative Code – ‘insubordination to an official on duty’.

12.06.2009 Criminal case instigated on kidnapping of Dzianis Karnou and Nasta Palazhanka

A criminal case has been instigated on the kidnapping of the Young Front activists Dzianis Karnou and Nasta Palazhanka on the eve of the 25 March rally.

01.06.2009 Detentions of ‘Young Belarus’ activists

On 31 May Minsk police detained the activists of Young Belarus Pavel Nestsiarovich and Illia Shcharbinski.

25.05.2009 Policemen confess they beaten up participants of peaceful opposition rally

On May 21 a court trial over young activists detained during the peaceful rally dedicated to the anniversary of Chernobyl nuclear power station accident started in Vitsebsk.

Judge Valyantsina Kismeroshkina started the trial according to police records drawn up on April 26 against an activist of “European Belarus” campaign Kanstantsin Ivanou and an activist of “For Freedom” movement Alyaksei Pilevich. The young people are charged with alleged insubordination to police. Ivanou and Pilevich face a fine from 20 to 50 basic units (from 700 to 1 mln 750,000 Br), europeanbelarus.org informs.

13.05.2009 Beaten activist filed complaint to prosecutor’s office

On 7 May before the action of solidarity that was held by democratic activists to mark the tenth anniversary of disappearance of Yury Zakharanka, the police detained several persons near Kastrychnitskaya metro station. Among the detainees there were Raman Bahdanovich, Siarhei Kazakou, Anatol Liabedzka, Aliaksei Senchyla and Maxim Serhiyets. The warrant officer Dzianis Korsak put down their passport data. Then the detainees were taken to a police bus, where they were beaten by policemen.

12.05.2009 Belarusian Christian Democracy Party gets no registration

Co-chairmen of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party call the decision of the authorities illegal and ungrounded. According to them, the Justice Ministry has simply executed a political order.

12.05.2009 Democratic activist beaten for T-shirt with ‘Pahonia’ coat of arms

Hooligans beat the democratic activist Ales Tsialehin. The victim told RFE/RL he was walking with an entrepreneur for a meeting. Two unknown young men came up to them near the Kuntsaushchyna metro station and asked why he was wearing a T-shirt with Pahonia .

12.05.2009 Professor Andrei Kaliada beaten by Russian commando

A barbarous occurrence took place on 10 May in Minsk: a Russian special purpose troops ("spetsnaz") officer with 10 years of fighting experience in Chechnya cruelly beat up Professor Andrei Kaliada.

09.05.2009 Police beat up participants of 7 May action

Participants of the rally on 7 May were beaten even for a denial to be fingerprinted, though formally this procedure is voluntary.

07.05.2009 Action in the memory of Yury Zakharanka ends with mass detentions

On 7 May at 6 p.m. several hundred people came to an action of commemoration of the ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka who has been missing for ten years already. The people were holding the photos of Zakharanka and the photos of the political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimir Asipenka and Yury Liavonau.