News on the topic: human rights defenders
10.10.2012 "Cause of Death __" documentary shown in Mahiliou
The showing, organized by the local human rights defenders, wasdated to the World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October.
10.10.2012 Streamers “NO to Death Penalty” appeared in the center of Minsk
Youth activists hanged out the banners to mark the World Day against the Death Penalty and draw the public attention to the problem of the ongoing use of this kind of punishment.
10.10.2012 Today is the World Day against the Death Penalty
The idea to mark the Day against the Death Penalty belongs to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, which includes about 40 human rights organizations, including “Amnesty International”, as well as bar associations, unions and local governments from all over the world. In September 2007 the Board of Ministers of the European Council decided to mark the European Day against the Death Penalty within the framework of the World Day, as far as Europe is a space which has been factually free from the death penalty since 1997.
09.10.2012 “Platform” got liquidated
The Minsk City Economic Court granted the lawsuit of the Tax Inspection of the Savetski district of Minsk and ruled to liquidate the educational institution “Platform”.
09.10.2012 Human Rights House Network calls on Belarusian authorities to release of Ales Bialiatski
We, the undersigned members and partners of the Human Rights House Network, are deeply concerned about the continued detention of Ales BIaliatski and the significant deterioration of his detention conditions. Ales Bialiatski is the head of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” in Belarus, Vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and is one of the founders of the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius (Lithuania).
08.10.2012 Border guards continue haunting human rights defenders: Nasta Loika got detained and searched
The human rights defender Nasta Loika was detained for several hours at the border crossing point “Kamenny Loh” while returning home from Vilnius.
03.10.2012 Ales Bialiatski writes about a great surprise and optimistic signs
In his letter of 27 September the human rights defender and political prisoner writes that he receives many postcards with congratulations on his jubilee, tells what became the greatest surprise he couldn't even imagine and reminds about the things we should always keep in mind.
01.10.2012 Human rights defender Zmitser Salauyou searched on the border
Zmitser Salauyou was searched at the border crossing point “Piashchatka” while returning home from Poland. His car and personal belongings were examined by border guards, customs officers and two men in plain clothes.
27.09.2012 Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemns ongoing harassment of "Viasna" Board member Tatsiana Reviaka
On September 18, 2012, Ms. Revyaka received a notification from the Tax Inspection of Minsk Pershamaiski District stating that she was “obliged to submit a declaration of income and property not later than October 3, 2012 for the period of 2004-2010, in pursuance of Article 12 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus 'On Declaration of Income and Property by Individuals'”. The Observatory strongly condemns this new act of harassment against Ms. Revyaka (see background information), which is part of a more general campaign of harassment against members of Viasna, since it seems to merely aim at impeding their legitimate human rights activities.
27.09.2012 Leanid Sudalenka and all his family members required to submit assets and income declarations for five years
The Homel human rights defender and all members of his family will have to report about all their income for the five years. The Savetski District Tax Inspection of Homel required the appropriate documents from Leanid Sudalenka, his wife and the son who is now serving in the army.
24.09.2012 Belarusian youth: “Ales! You Are Our Talisman!”
The imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski shares his thoughts inspired by the letters of solidarity he keeps receiving in prison: ‘I have received quite a lot of letters from young people lately. And there are many postcards from Vilnius, from the School, too. It is really pleasant: it means that the ideas of human rights protection have resonated with the Belarusian youth, which used to be so nobly described in the poetry of Yanka Kupala.
21.09.2012 Ongoing harassment of Tatsiana Reviaka
The Belarusian tax authorities have joined a campaign of harassment of Tatsiana Reviaka, member of the Council of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and President of the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile.
13.09.2012 UN Human Rights Committee registers complaint by Valiantsin Stefanovich
The UN Human Rights Committee has registered a complaint submitted by deputy chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich. The complaint deals with extremely poor detention conditions the human rights defender was subjected to during his arrest back in 2010.
12.09.2012 Viasna’s lawyers on new “creative idea” by police
For quite a long time now, the harassment of activists of pro-democratic public organizations through charging them with an administrative offence has been to human rights defenders some kind of a "standard": people keep being taken to courts almost every day. Of especially concern to the human rights defenders is the traditional sentencing of activists and participants of peaceful rallies on charges of "petty hooliganism" (Art. 17.1 of the Administrative Code).
03.09.2012 Brest: another picket ban left standing
The Brest City Executive Committee prohibited human rights defender Uladzimir Vialichkin, the head of the Brest regional organization of the United Civil Party Uladzimir Vuyek and the head of the Brest regional organization of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Ihar Maslouski to hold a picket in support of the imprisoned head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatksi and all other political prisoners in Belarus on 4 August.
