12.08.2008 Mauliuda Atakulava sentenced to 10 days of jail for action of solidarity with Georgia

Liudmila Atakulava, a Young Front activist, has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest for participation in a rally near the Russian Embassy on 11 August. The verdict has been passed by the court of Tsentralny district in Minsk.

08.08.2008 Pavel Kuryianovich sentenced to 15 days of jail. Imprisoned Dashkevich and Finkevich go on hunger-strike

The leaders of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich and Arthur Finkevich, arrested in Minsk yesterday, announced a hunger strike in Akrestsin Street detention centre. The activist of the civil campaign European Belarus Pavel Kuryianovich stood trial at the court of Maskouski district of Minsk and was sentenced to 15 days of jail for ‘petty hooliganism’.

08.08.2008 Police and KGB burst into ‘Young Front’ office

On 7 August in the evening riot policemen and KGB officers broke into the head office of the Young Front in Karal Street in Minsk. Two entrance doors were broken. The leaders of the organization Zmitser Dashkevich and Arthur Finkevich, as well as 4 activists of the Young Front and an activist of the civil campaign European Belarus Pavel Kuryianovich were arrested.

17.07.2008 First detainees to be released

Today the first political activists detained under suspicion of their relation to the 4th of July blast will be released. Viktar Liashchynski, Siarzhuk Chyslau, and several others will return home.

Let us remind the readers: on july 6th and 7th KGB officers searched the apartments of the people, who, in their mind, could have a elation to producing of a bomb. After the searches they were interrogated and detained for three days. When the term of the detention passed, it was continued to 10 days.

The investigators do not give the exact number of people detained as suspects in the criminal case. We know that there are people of different layers of society on that list – from chemistry students to “disloyal’ elements.

17.07.2008 Chyslau’s detention was not officially processed in time

Nina Shydlouskaya, the wife of detained Miraslau Lazouski, reported about the legal violations during detention of Siarhei Chyslau.

Nina Shydlouskaya says: “The detention documents are dated by the evening of July 8th. He, just as the other three detained former activists of the Belarusian Association of Servicemen, should be released on the 10th day from the detention, which is tomorrow evening. It seems the date of Siarhei’s detention in the police documents is wrong. According to Chyslau’s relatives, he was detained late in the evening of July 7th.”

Thus, Siarhei Chyslau seemed to be nowhere for 24 hours.

16.07.2008 Mikhail Sharamet detained and kept in KGB investigation department

Today the husband of BAJ board member Aliona Sharamet received a phone call from the KGB department. He was invited to have a “conversation” as a witness in “you know what case we are talking about, the most known case at the moment”.

16.07.2008 Vitebsk human rights activist taken to police station from intensive care unit

Open Letter of Belarusian Human Rights Defenders

16.07.2008 Vitebsk human rights defender Paval Levinau arrested for 10 days

The arrest verdict was given on May 26th: court found the BHC representative guilty of disorderly conduct.

For almost two months Mr. Levinau tried to challenge the verdict. He tried to prove his innocence and the fact that the court violated the law when making the verdict – as it was read out in his absence. According to the human rights activist, Pershamaiski district policemen made numerous attempts to deliver him to the arrest and detention center: they stood on duty near his apartment and followed him around the city. Today Paval Levinau was brought to the police station from hospital. He got into hospital yesterday from the prosecutor’s office, where he had another collision with the police.

15.07.2008 Illia Bohdan: birthday behind bars

The member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, human rights activist Illia Bohdan has to celebrate his 21st birthday behind bars. He is kept there on suspicion in relation to the 4 July blast in Minsk.

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.

14.07.2008 Blast news: some of the detained activists get released from jail

The opposition activists Siarhei Vysotski and Alexander Serhiyenka, detained over the case of blasts on 4 July, were released from the KGB detention center on Saturday, 12 July.

11.07.2008 Detained UCP Members are punished for ‘dirty swearing’

The judge of Tsentralny district court of Minsk Tatsiana Pauliuchuk found the activists of the United Civil Party who have been detained today guilty under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code, petty hooliganism. Kiryl Paulouski was sentenced to 10 days of jail, Mikhail Pashkevich and Vital Stazharau – to 15 days.

11.07.2008 Ales Bialiatski: ‘A civil intimidation campaign has been started against the background of the electoral campaign’

On 11 July human rights activists, relatives of the arrested ex-members of White Legion and democratic leaders held a press conference dedicated to the groundless arrests in connection with the blast which had taken place on 4 July in Minsk, at celebration of the official Independence Day.

11.07.2008 Statement of Presidium of the political council of the United Democratic Forces

The authorities started using the 4 July blast in Minsk for lynching the political opposition, instead of searching the real criminals. As of 11 July 2008, 16 persons were arrested. The majority of them are activists and members of different democratic political parties, public initiatives and electoral headquarters of the candidates of the United Democratic Forces. Youth activists are terrorized and detained for protest against repressions. The atmosphere of unpunished lawlessness predominates in the country during the electoral campaign.

11.07.2008 Vitsebsk: Barys Khamaida gets imprisoned as a result of provocation

On 8, 9 and 10 July the police detained Barys Khamaida for handing out independent press. Each time he was detained for two hours and then was released.