04.05.2009 Action of solidarity: day two

At 6 p.m. on 2 May about 40 activists of Young Front, Young Belarus, European Belarus and BPF Youth lined up in Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk with portraits of Mikalai Autukhovich in their hands and demanded that Autukhovich and other political prisoners were released from prison.

04.05.2009 On 1 May Minsk police disbanded action of solidarity with political prisoners

In Minsk riot policemen were beating up participants of the peaceful rally of solidarity with political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich who had declared indefinite hunger strike. The rally took place on 1 May near the remand prison in Valadarski Street in Minsk.

14.04.2009 ‘Young Front’ activist Artsium Dubski beaten by riot police

The Young Front activist managed to send a letter from the pre-trial detention center. In this letter, published on the Young Front website, Artsiom Dubski says how the riot police beat him and his cell mates.

14.04.2009 Police cannot find the persons who beat Franak Viachorka

Franak Viachorka, forcefully drafted into the army, received a letter saying the police couldn’t find the person who injured the activist.

09.04.2009 Prosecutor’s office refuses to bring a criminal case on beating of participants of St.Valentine’s Day action

The prosecutors’ office of Savetski district of Minsk ‘does not consider’ beating up participants of the peaceful rally of young people in the capital on St. Valentine’s Day by riot policemen ‘to be a socially dangerous act’.

16.02.2009 HR Center Viasna issues statement on brutal dispersal of 14 February peaceful action

On 14 February 2008 the unregistered Young Front organization conducted a peaceful youth demonstration. In spite of the fact that the action was peaceful, the demonstrators were attacked by representatives of the Belarusian riot police, using violence and compliance weapons. As a result, dozens of citizens were beaten up. However, none of the participants of the action was detained, which indicates the deliberate character of the violent actions, aimed at intimidation and display of power by the Belarusian authorities. The violence used was demonstrative and deliberately excessive. It should be observed that the action was preceded by a series of searches at the private apartments of the Young Front members.

08.12.2008 Trial over Barazenka: policemen beat youth leader Andrei Kim

Policemen in mufti beat the youth leader Andrei Kim near Tsentralny district court of Minsk, where the political prisoner Alexander Barazenka was tried. Kim was beaten when Barazenka was being taken out of the court and the people who came to support him started chanting ‘Freedom!’ and ‘Long Live Belarus!’ Three policemen in mufti assaulted him.

10.11.2008 Saliahorsk: human rights activist Yana Paliakova is guarded to court by police

On 10 November in Salihorsk, a police officer came up to Yana Palyakova and ordered to follow him to the court.

06.11.2008 Participants of action against foreign travel restrictions are beaten by police

The leaders and activists of the Belarusian opposition who tried to bring address to the authorities of Belarus to the Internal Affairs Ministry and the General Prosecutor’s Office with a request to authorize their travelling outside Belarus were beaten up by policemen in mufti.

04.11.2008 Baranavichy: ‘Young Front’ activists are beaten on return from Dziady action

Activists of the Young Front Yury Bahdanovich and Siamion Bylinski were brutally beaten up after they returned to Baranavichy from the protest rally Dziady in Minsk.

11.10.2008 Salihorsk: police beat human rights activist

On 9 October in Salihorsk the human rights activist Yana Palyakova was beaten up by unknown people. She was beaten again at the police department. She said in an interview to RFE/RL she had been attacked at 5 in the evening.

07.10.2008 Police are not punished for murder

The court did not bring to account the policemen of Babruisk pre-trial detention centre who had clubbed Dzianis Klimachou to death. The formal reason is the expiry of the criminal prosecution period.

29.09.2008 Activists persecuted after rally on September 28

Late evening, after the rally on Kastrychnitskaya Square, the police detained several protesters. Andrei Zubarau, Heorhi Paulenka, and Siarhei Piatrouski are among the detained. We are trying to find out the names of the other detained activists.

Several rally participants, Franak Viachorka among them, were severely beaten by strangers at the crossing of Bahdanovicha and Niakrasava streets.

29.09.2008 After protest rally on October Square Franak Viachorka and BPF Youth beaten up

On September 28 right after the protest rally against rigged election results, four active participants of the rally were beaten up. One of the leaders of the BPF Youth (The Belarusian Popular Front youth branch) Franak Viachorka was among them.

16.09.2008 Beaten for a white-red-white flag

The police detained Andrus Tsianiuta, activist of Young Front, during the celebration of the Day of the City. In the evening of September 13th Andrus was walking to a concert in the Ice Palace with a white-red-white flag. The policemen pulled the Young Front activist out of the crowd, knocked him down and beat him.

Andrus says, the policemen dislocated his finger and injured his knee.