03.02.2009 Huge fines for anti-KGB rally

Activists of the Young Front and the Belarusian Christian Democracy have been fined millions of rubles for the rally staged against arbitrary actions of the KGB.

03.02.2009 Homel: police detain participants of action against political dismissals

On 3 February in Homel the police detained three activists of Young Front and of the organizing committee the Belarusian Christian Democracy party.

27.01.2009 KGB interferes with registration of Christian Democrats

KGB officers are trying to intimidate members of the Organizing committee for foundation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party.

More than 100 persons have already come out as founders of the Belarusian Christian Democracy in Vitsebsk, Polatsk, Chashniki and Haradok. The organising Committee for foundation of the BCD started meetings for registration of the party. The list of more than 100 persons should be collected for that. At the same time, the KGB is trying to intimidate potential founders of the party.

20.01.2009 KGB recruits student via social network

On 19 January two KGB officers tried to recruit a first-year student of the Belarusian University of Informatics and Radio-Electronics Pavel Liashkovich.

16.01.2009 Young activist Franak Viachorka to join army on 26 January

As we have reported before, today police using violence detained leader of BPF’s Youth Franak Viachorka. He was taken to Savetski borough military registration and enlistment office and told he was fit for military service. After that he was served call-up papers for 26 January and released. The police also detained his mother who tried to penetrate the military registration and enlistment office. The Human Rights Center Viasna states there are no real grounds for trusting any medical report drawn up under an apparent pressure by the KGB. The Human Rights Center Viasna considers such actions a politically-motivated harassment. We remind Belarusian authorities that such lawless attempts to persecute youth activists do not contribute to the situation in the field of human rights in Belarus.

15.01.2009 Asipovichy activist regains property

Ihar Simbirou has been able to take back the newspapers confiscated by the KGB during a mass search campaign in March 2008. The searches were conducted by the police and the KGB officers on charges of contempt against Belarusian president.

16.12.2008 KGB officers blackmail activist’s mother

KGB officers threatened the mother of Young Front member Yulian Misiukevich with expulsion of her son from university if she refused to appear on BT state TV channel.

12.12.2008 Court justifies ‘Svaboda’

On 12 December Iuye district court held a repeated trial concerning ‘extremist articles’ in August issue of the unregistered newspaper Svaboda. According to the lawyer Pavel Sapelka, who represented the newspaper’s interests at the trial, the court rejected the suit of Ihar Siarheyenka, head of Hrodna oblast KGB department, as no extremist articles have been found in the issue in question.

12.12.2008 Legislative invention of Belarusian KGB

Introduction of administrative responsibility for divulging state secrets through negligence is planned in Belarus.

11.12.2008 Detention on the Ukrainian border

Activists of the Belarusian opposition may face problems at the border crossing point Makrany in Malaryta district on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

10.12.2008 KGB warns lyceum pupils

On 9 December a KGB officer paid a visit to lyceum #7 to talk to the 18-year-old pupils Siarhei Svirydau and Artur Zaitsau. He introduced himself as Andrei and explained his visit with the necessity to warn them about the inadmissibility of participation in unregistered youth organizations.

01.12.2008 Authorities disrupt fest in honor of Slutsk uprising

The owner of a Minsk club, where anniversary of the historical event was planned to be marked, was ordered to cancel a lease contract by secret service officers.

11.11.2008 KGB is interested in priest’s activities

On 5 November Siarhei Vashkevich, an aide of a protestant pastor Viachaslau Hancharenka at Novaye Zhyttsio church, received a writ from KGB. According to this document, he was to come to Minsk and Minsk oblast KGB department on at 2 p.m. on 10 November for giving explanations.

10.11.2008 Minsk: ‘Young Front’ activists detained for action near KGB office

Seven members of the Young Front opposition youth group were grabbed by police during a demonstration near the headquarters of the Committee for State Security (KGB) in Minsk on 7 November. The young people were standing in front of the KGB founder Felix Dzerzhinsky's bust, holding a sign that said, ‘Communism must be brought before tribunal!’

05.11.2008 Brest: procuracy does not grant Yauhen Skrabets’ complaint

Recently the democratic activist Yauhen Skrabets has complained to the procuracy of Maskouski district of Brest about unlawful confiscation of printed editions, DVD disks and a computer hard drive during a search in his parents’ apartment.