The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News on the topic: torture

15.09.2008 Homel: police beat and torture youth activists for white-red-white flag

During the official events dedicated to Homel’s City Day, when the 866th anniversary of the city was celebrated, Young Front activists raised white-red-white flags.

01.09.2008 Salihorsk police beat democratic activist

Yana Paliakova, a well-known human rights activist and a member of the initiative group of a candidate for deputy Volha Kazulina, has been beaten up by policemen of Salihorsk police department. Doctors have documented bruises of her arm and of the two shins.

06.08.2008 Members of Stanislau Bahdankevich’s initiative group beaten

In Minsk Yury Fabisheuski and Siarhei Kastylenka, members of the initiative group for nominating the former head of the National bank Stanislau Bahdankevich a candidate to the parliament were beaten by unidentified persons. The incident took place yesterday during collection of signatures in support of S. Bahdankevich.

15.07.2008 Riot police disperse action in support of arrested public activists. Anatol Liabedzka is beaten

On 14 July an action demanding to release opposition activists, unlawfully arrested after the blast in Minsk on 4 July, was dispersed at Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk. More than 50 people came to the square with portraits of political prisoners, and unfurled national Belarusian and EU flags. More than 100 riot policemen were thrown against the participants of the action.

09.07.2008 Salihorsk: police beat ‘Young Front’ activists till they bleed

On 8 July in Salihorsk Pavel Batuyeu, Khrystsina Samoilava, Illia Shyla, Ivan Shyla and Andrei Tychyna were detained while collecting signatures for integration into the EU.

12.06.2008 Youth activists beaten by riot squad police at ‘Beatles’ Festival’

During the musical festival ‘Beatles Forever’ which was held in Lahoisk on Saturday, 7 June, several youngsters raised white-red-white flags. Several minutes after this raged riot squad policemen burst into the crowd and started beating the youngsters, among whom there was an activist of the Young Front Vadzim Khaniauka.

03.06.2008 Valery Shchukin: police torturers on the dock

The first summer month of 2008 in Vitsebsk was marked by an unheard trial (at least for the author of this article). It was the first time for the twelve years of acquaintance with the court instances when I was at a trial which was lead by the head of the court and the state accusation was represented by prosecutor in person.

27.05.2008 Baranavichy: police beat 'Young Front' activists

Four national flags appeared opposite the city hall and the Baranavichy city executive committee in the morning of 23 May. After a while Yaraslau Hryshchenia, the leader of Baranavichy branch of Young Front, and his friends Artsiom Lastavetski and Piatro Ruzau were detained in the street. After the policemen searched Yaraslau and found two flags in his bag, they struck him down to the ground and started beating.

14.05.2008 Minsk: court turns down complaint of beaten driver

13 May the judge of Minsk city court Siarhei Khrypach turned down the cassation complaint of the citizen of Russian Sergey Ostrovsky against a verdict of Tsentralny district court of Minsk.

05.05.2008 Baranavichy: Young Front activists get fined

Yaraslau Hryshchenia, leader of the Baranavichy Young Front branch, activist Artsiom Lastavetski and Ales Pershak, detained ahead of 1 May, had administrative trials in Baranavichy on 2 May.

02.05.2008 1 May action brings detentions and arrests

About 30 activists of the civil campaign European Belarus were detained yesterday near the National Library in Minsk suburb Uruccha where pro-regime trade unions were celebrating May Day. Among the detained are Yauhen Afnahel, Andrei Babitski, Zmitser Barodka, the Young Front leaders Zmitser Dashkevich, Artur Finkevich, Zmitser Khvedaruk, and chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikola Statkevich.

07.04.2008 Parsiukevich to be tried 16 October

As the BelaPAN information agency was informed by the lawyer Vera Stramkouskaya, the legal proceedings in the case of the entrepreneur Siarhei Parsiukevich will start 16 October. The case will be tried by the judge Uladzimir Audzeyenka. The case was passed to the court 31 March.

07.04.2008 Participant of 25 March action has broken rib

Doctors of Minsk hospital #3 diagnosed Andrei Babitski, activist of the civil campaign European Belarus, with ‘closed displaced fracture of eighth rib’. The youth activist and dozens of other participants of the demonstration on 25 March were beaten up brutally by riot policemen. Emergency brigade, called to the Savetski district police department, refused to help the oppositionist.

04.04.2008 Amnesty International: Demonstrators beaten during Freedom Day march

Amnesty International condemns the reportedly excessive use of force by Belarusian security forces against demonstrators who had gathered in the capital, Minsk, on 25 March 2008. Up to two thousand people had gathered in a square in the centre of the city to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the short-lived independence of Belarus in 1918, which is now referred to by the political opposition as Freedom Day. The authorities had not sanctioned the demonstration and President Alexander Lukashenka’s government had vowed to prevent any public action to mark the occasion.