05.11.2008 No ‘extremism’ in ‘Svaboda’?

On 5 November Hrodna oblast court considered the cassation complaint against the verdict of Iuye district court by which an August issue of the Svaboda newspaper had been declared extremist. The judge Alexander Sitsko ruled to return the case to Iuye district court for review.

14.10.2008 Winners of school Olympiads in chemistry are summonsed to KGB

In Minsk the winners of the school Olympiads in chemistry are summonsed to the KGB office. They are questioned in connection with the blast that had taken place on 4 July in the morning, at the celebration of the official Independence Day. Fingerprints and saliva samples are also taken from them.

17.09.2008 Valiantsin Stefanovic: authorities have another chance to prosecute opposition members

Lawyer and human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovic comments on a number of suits filed by Hrodna KGB asking to recognize that the seized printed editions are of extremist nature:

“We observe unprecedented processes when the regional Committee for State Security (KGB) appeals to court under the Code of Civic Procedures, asking to recognize the legal fact that some printed editions are extremist. Among the editions on their list there is the Chronicle Review of Human Rights Violations in Belarus”, published by Viasna in 2004. According to the plaintiffs, it contains pictures from the rallies of anti-Belarusian nature: the Freedom Day, the Chernobyl March, Ancestors’ day, and others. The KGB also thinks the Review contains calls to overthrow the regime in an unconstitutional way.

Meanwhile, in 2004, when the draft law "about counteraction to extremism" was still considered by the parliament, we warned the Belarusian society about possible usage of the law against the political opposition and dissidents. Now, in Hrodna, we are actually observing the facts when any kind of criticism, including publishing of human rights materials, is assessed as extremist and containing (although it is still not clear, where) calls to anti-constitutional change of state system.

In our opinion, this is a very dangerous tendency. Although the law does not contain any sanctions and is more of a guiding nature, it still can be logically concluded that if the materials (in our case, the Chronicle Review of Human Rights Violations in Belarus -- 2004) are recognized extremist editions containing calls to overthrow the constitutional system, then their authors might be prosecuted.

We have a criminal article “Calls to overthrow the constitutional system”, which provides for criminal responsibility for such actions. This way, the Belarusian authorities have another chance to prosecute dissidents. Now we need to do everything we can to draw the public attention to these lawsuits. Moreover, we are in the election period at the moment. We should not allow for such a persecution now.

15.09.2008 KGB ‘checks’ workers of Institute of History

In the second half of August and in the beginning of September KGB officers held a ‘voluntary’ questioning of workers of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus in connection with the 4 July explosion in Minsk. The ‘questioning’ was conducted in the working time. The KGB workers occupied the scientists’ offices and working places for it. Those who refused to participate in these measures are threatened with dismissal.

15.09.2008 ‘Extremist materials’ found on youth activist’s computer 18 months after confiscation

On 13 September a student of Bialystok University Aliaksei Trubkin received documents from Hrodna regional KGB department by post. According to them, the guy is to come to the court of Kastrychnitski district in Hrodna on 18 September, as he is charged with ‘extremism’.

10.09.2008 Brest: attempt to kidnap an activist of the United Civil Party

In the evening on 8 September an attempt to kidnap Yury Panasyuk, an activist of the Young Democrats (youth organization of the United Civil Party), was committed in Brest.

17.08.2008 Blast investigation does not change direction

Aleh Pronski, Masty activist of the Movement for Freedom, nominated to the precinct election commission, was invited to visit the local KGB office. The guy spent the last two months abroad, but they want to talk about Minsk explosion with him.

14.08.2008 Babruisk: potential candidate summonsed to KGB concerning ‘blast case’

‘I was summonsed to the KGB department because I am against the authorities and therefore am a suspect, that’s what I was told there’, says Alena Miadzvedzeva. ‘Lieutenant-colonel Aleh Akhremenka and the deputy chair of Babruisk KGB department Siarhei Zemliakou spoke with me. They showed to me pictures and identikits of different men. I asked them if whether I had to show them my passport to prove that I am not a man. Then they started asking whether I was I could shoot, as my husband was a military officer.

11.08.2008 Mahiliou: pressurization of the initiative group of Ryhor Kastusiou

The members of the initiative group of a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Ryhor Kastusiou (running at electoral district #90 in Shklou) are pressurized. In particular, the local KGB officers interrogated without any sufficient reasons the head of Kastusiou’s team Barys Vyrvich, and one of its members, Valiantsina Shchetnikava.

11.08.2008 Babruisk: Ales Chyhir and his initiative group summonsed to military enlistment office

The resident of Babruisk Ales Chyhir who intends to run for parliament, has received a writ from the local military enlistment office. There it is written that he is summonsed to the office for ‘amendment of the documents’. Similar writs were received by two members of Chyhir’s initiative group. All writs are for Tuesday.

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.

07.08.2008 Necessary number of signatures collected for 36 candidates from ‘European list’

The European Coalition includes the organizing committees of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) and the Party of Freedom and Progress and the international NGO Young Front which has official registration in Czech.

07.08.2008 Vitsebsk: journalists are interrogated in criminal case on threat letters from Russian neo-Nazi

On 7 August an independent journalist Aliona Stsiapanava was summonsed to the KGB and interrogated as a witness on a criminal case that had been brought on threat letters sent by activists of an unregistered Russian neo-Nazi organization RNE (Russian National Unity). The investigator asked Stsiapanava where and when she had seen such letters and what human rights organizations she knew.

07.08.2008 Brest KGB considers actions towards Alexander Mekh legal

On 6 August a potential candidate at the parliamentary elections, the head of Kobryn town organization of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Alexander Mekh received an answer to his complaint to the KGB.