11.08.2009 KGB is reluctant to explain reasons for warning to Yan Roman

Ihar Siarheyenka, head of Hrodna oblast KGB department, refuses to explain the reasons for an official warning to Yan Roman, journalist for Radio Racyja.

04.08.2009 KGB pressurizes another ‘Young Front’ activist

Officers of the State Security Committee (KGB) visited mother of youth activist Valiantsina Liasnova.

08.07.2009 Belarus is more liberal than ever: political prisoners still exist, while Nazis are amnestied

A leaders of Homel structure of the Russian National Unity (RNU) in Homel Andrei Nestsiarovich returned to his native city after two years on the run.

02.07.2009 ARCHE extremism case terminated

Brest Maskouski Court has terminated the legal prosecution of the ARCHE analytical magazine for alledged propaganda of extremism after the local KGB department declared they would not insist on putting the charge on the defendant. According to an official letter recieved by ARCHE, the hearing was closed, the judge and the secretary being the only persons present.

23.06.2009 ARCHE magazine not extremist any longer, says KGB

The KGB Brest regional department will not insist on naming #7-8 of the ARCHE analytical magazine extremist, says the KGB spokesman Mikhail Sharkouski. According to the defendant’s lawyer Pavel Sapelka, the next hearing of the trial is due on 25 June. ‘Since there is no point of dispute anymore, we hope that the case will be terminated. The court has no grounds for turning down the KGB’s motion,’ said the lawyer.

17.06.2009 Oppositionists demand to drop charge against human rights activist Svetsik

Several members of the Conservative Christian Party BPF Yan Taupyha, Yan Dziarzhautsau, as well as a non-partisan activist Barys Khamaida, have addressed Judge of Vitsebsk Regional Court Halina Urbanovich with a demand to drop charges against the local human rights activist Leanid Svetsik, who is prosecuted for fomenting national hatred by the local KGB department. They claim that the prosecution is groundless and demand to prosecute the actual offenders who threatened them with violence for their political views. The judge has turned down the motion by the oppositionists, who have declared themselves victims in the case, having strong doubt about the guilt of the accused. Still, she has filed the motion to the case materials.

26.05.2009 Artur Finkevich: “Secret services try to intimidate young people, but they are to fail”

The leader of the “Young Belarus” Artur Finkevich lodged a legal application to the prosecutor’s office of Zavadski district of Minsk with a request to find and bring to account persons who called him on the phone threatening bodily harm.

Artur Finkevich has also commented to the Charter’97 press-centre the threats received by him from an unknown person last Friday. As we have informed, Finkevich received a call on his mobile phone with demands to stop his political activities.

18.05.2009 KGB induce Young Front activists to cooperation

According to Young Front press-service, a YF member Nadzeya Pekraskaya was offered collaboration by a number of KGB agents during a conversation at the Journalists’ Faculty of Belarusian State University. ‘They said they would help solve all my problems,’ said Ms.Pekarskaya. She also had a conversation with the Faculty Dean Mr.Dubovik, who demanded that the activist provided explanations on her recent arrest during the 7 May rally. As a result, the official said the girl would be expelled from the University in case she is detained again.’

30.04.2009 KGB blames journalists of discrediting Belarus with articles about crisis

KGB officers detained a journalist and warned he must write something positive about the authorities.

Otherwise Ivan roman was threatened with a criminal case for “discrediting the Republic of Belarus”.

Officers of the KGB department for the Hrodna region detained journalist Ivan Roman, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, in Hrodna yesterday. He is a correspondent of Radio Racyja and an author of Magazyn Polski, published by the Union of Poles of Belarus, unrecognized by the Belarusian authorities. The journalist was given a written warning about responsibility for discrediting Belarus.

24.04.2009 Human rights activist Sazonau warned by KGB

This morning Viktar Sazonau, democratic activist and human rights experts from Hrodna, was visited by two KGB agents who served a writ upon the activist and took him to Hrodna Regional KGB Office. There he was warned of possible criminal prosecution for further political activities under Article 342 of the Criminal Code – ‘organizing or active participation in group actions, which brutally violate public order.’ Viktar Sazonau thinks the warning is a means of psychological pressure and intimidation.

16.03.2009 KGB resumes case against human rights activist Svetsik

Vitsebsk human rights activist Leanid Svetsik has received a letter from the KGB Vitsebsk regional department, saying the secret service has resumed criminal prosecution under Article 130.1 of the Criminal Code (‘stirring up international and interdenominational hatred’). According to Mr.Svetsik, the investigator failed to name the grounds for the resumption. However, he attributes it to the growing pressure against human rights activists, e.g. the negative decision concerning the registration of the Nasha Viasna human rights organization.

16.02.2009 KGB finds elements of extremism in Arche magazine articles

The KGB Brest Regional Department addressed Brest Regional Court with a letter concerning the 10 copies of the Arche magazine confiscated by the Belarusian customs officers in October 2008. According to the copy of the letter received by Arche’s editorial board, issues #7 and #8 of 2008 of the magazine ‘contain elements of extremist ideology’, namely certain information ‘injuring the reputation of the Belarusian state bodies, intensifying social and political tension, encouraging mass riots and therefore undermining the national security of Belarus’ political sphere.’ The KGB demands that the confiscated editions be declared extremist and liable to destruction.

13.02.2009 ‘European Belarus’ activists picket KGB

On 12 February activists of the civil campaign European Belarus held a picket near the KGB office in Minsk demanding to release arrested Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka.

11.02.2009 KGB continues recruiting informers among students

Recently the State Security Committee has proposed ‘cooperation’ to Dzmitry Fiaskou, second-year student of Homel State Agrarian-economical College.

09.02.2009 KGB wants to recruit Young Front activist

Activist of the Homel branch of the Young Front Dzianis Siaskou was visited by a KGB officer in college on Thursday.