29.07.2009 Authorities planning to make entrepreneurs’ trial closed, says Aleh Volchak

The authorities are doing their best to make the trial of the three Vaukavyssk entrepreneurs Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka a closed one, said lawyer and ex-investigator Aleh Volchak during a press-conference on 28 July in Minsk. ‘With the preliminary investigation being carried out in secret, with the lawyers having been forced to sign a pledge of secrecy, I suppose that the trial will be a closed one. This is what their tactics are about,’ said Mr.Volchak.

21.07.2009 Participant of Process of 14 Mikhail Subach amnestied

Mikhail Subach was granted amnesty yet on July 15, but he learnt this only on Friday.

We remind that the Process of 14 is a case under article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus instigated against participants of a peaceful protest rally of entrepreneurs held in Minsk on January 10, 2008.

For participation in this rally the Tsentralny district court of Minsk sentenced youth activist Andrei Kim to 1.5 years in penal colony (he was released in August 2008). Activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Alyaksandr Barazenka was sentenced to one year of restraint of liberty without sending him to a penal facility, he was kept in a detention center from October 27 to December 9, 2008.

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.

02.07.2009 Supreme Court reaffirms decision to deny registration to Young Democrats

The Supreme Court of Belarus has reaffirmed the decision by the Ministry of Justice to disallow registration to the Young Democrats political party due to a number of misspellings in the body of the application. The founders of the party are sure the decision is groundless, since the few insignificant flaws could have been easily corrected upon the request of the Ministry of Justice. In their reply to the application, the registration officials have also stressed that the organization's name does not correspond to its Charter. The Supreme Court did not take this into consideration, but suported the stance of the Ministry in general.

25.06.2009 Opposition activist Uladzimir Katsora went on dry hunger strike in prison

On June 25, the judge of the Tsentralny district court of Homel found guilty five participants of a peaceful action of solidarity with kidnapped general Yury Zakharanka.

Opposition activists Pyotr Kuznyatsou, Vasiky Palyakou, Anatol Paplauny and a namesake of kidnapped former interior minister Yury Zakharanka were fined 700,000 Belarusian rubles, Radio Svaboda reports.

Uladzimir Katsora, regional coordinator of the “For Freedom” movement was arrested for three days. Protesting, the politician declared a dry hunger strike in the courtroom.

17.06.2009 Lawsuit against Sovetskaya Belorussiya turned down

Minsk Savetski Court has turned down the claim by the civil activist Halina Yubko against the Sovetskaya Belorussiya major pro-government newspaper and its journalist Viktar Panamarou, following the publication of an article ‘providing a biased coverage’ of the civil campaign headed by Mrs.Yubko. The activist says she is going to appeal the verdict at Minsk City Court.

16.06.2009 Female activist to sue major pro-government newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussiya

On 16 June Minsk Savetski Court has commenced hearings of Halina Yubko’s lawsuit against the Sovetskaya Belorussiya newspaper. The activist claims that the newspaper has degraded her honour and dignity by providing a biased coverage of the civil initiative by a number of females fighting for the protection of the rights of their convicted friends and relatives. During a preliminary hearing the defendant said the group of women mentioned in the article had nothing to do with the initiative represented by Mrs.Yubko.

16.06.2009 Punishment to two participants of Process of 14 mitigated

The Tsentralny district court of Minsk considered suggestions of militia officers to mitigate punishment to Ales Straltsou and Ales Charnyshou.

As Radio Svaboda reports, they guys must have served the remaining term of restraint of liberty (one year, two months and fifteen days). The court changed restraint of liberty to correctional labour. They young men must pay 15 per cent of their payment to the state during this period.

Straltsou and Charnyshou were sentenced to 1.5 years of restraint of liberty in the Case of 14 last year. They were accused of organizing riots during rallies of entrepreneurs.

Though now liberty Straltsou and Charnyshou is not restricted, they don’t have the right to leave the country.

27.05.2009 Another convict for General Zakharanka memorial rally

On 26 May Homel Tsentralny Court convicted another participant of the 7 May General Zakharanka memorial picket in downtown Homel. The human rights and pro-democratic activist Anatol Paplauny was summonsed to the court after he had refused to let a policeman in his private house.

27.05.2009 Illya Shyla fined 625 dollars for covering “School for all” rally

An administrative commission of Salihorsk district executive committee has fined a minor activist Illya Shyla 50 basic units (1 mln 750 thousand rubles) for a picket in which he hadn’t taken part.

The ruling of the commission was passed in absence of the Young Front activist. Illya Shyla finds the decision absurd and is set to challenge it in the court, the website saligorsk.org writes.

As we have informed, on May 5 in the framework of the “School for all” campaign Salihorsk branch of the Young Front held a picket in support of their forcibly drafted leader Ivan Shyla in the central square of the city. Ivan Shyla hadn’t been given an opportunity to finish the school.

26.05.2009 Oppositionists went to law against city executive committee

Pro-democracy activists from Homel demand to declare illegitimate the decision of the city executive committee to ban a meeting dedicated to the 23th anniversary of Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster.

On May 25 Arkadzy Kaluhin, a judge of the Central court of Homel, postponed consideration of the suit proceedings in the action of pro-democracy activists Uladzimir Katsora and Uladzimir Syakerka against city executive committee concerning illegal banning the rally dedicated to the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster anniversary, Radio Svaboda informs.

25.05.2009 Participants of anti-nuclear rally stand trial in Lida

Today, on 25 May Lida Town Court fined a Young Front activist Hanna Bunko BYR 70,000 for participating in the 25 April anti-nuclear action, issuing a warning to another participant of the rally and a European Belarus member Yauhen Rudy. Another activist Yauhen Skrabets had been sentenced to 1 day of imprisonment a few days earlier. According to Ms.Bunko, two policemen testified against the teenagers. ‘He said I was too young so they will just warn me this time,’ said Yahen Rudy. The activists were arrested on 25 April in the town of Lida, as they were holding a banner ‘No to the New Chernobyl!’ and distributing leaflets with information on the danger of the construction of the new nuclear power plant in Belarus.

22.05.2009 Court turns down claim by BPF Hrodna office

Hrodna Regional Court has considered the complaint against the decision by the Ministry of Justice to deny registration to the Belarusian Popular Front’s Hrodna Regional Office. The interests of the party were represented by the BPF’s central office senior secretary Uladzimer Labkovich and member of the party’s Soim Yury Chavusau. The trial was bore a strong resemblance to the one held a few hours before, when similar complaint by the BPF ‘Adradzhennie’ was considered.

21.05.2009 Court demands data on trade union activists

According to www.gazetaby.com, Homel Tsentralny Court asks for detailed information on the participants of the constituent congress of the Radio-Electronic Industry Independent Trade Union’s local office, as part of the hearings concerning the refusal to register the organization by local authorities. Judge Shytsikau requires that the activists provide information on the occupation, both current and former, certified by authoritative references. According to the organization’s head Henadz Fiadynich, it is the first time the Belarusian judiciary demands similar data. ‘Courts can inquire about any kind of information, but why examine them through a magnifying glass?’ says the trade union leader.

21.05.2009 Oppositionist Paliakou to be tried for participating in Zakharanka memorial rally

Yesterday, on 20 May, Vasil Paliakou, head of UCPB Homel Regional Office, was visited by a police representative captain Shukel. According to Mr.Paliakou, the conversation looked like an interrogation, for the policeman drew up a record and later charged the Politian with violating Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code for participating in an unauthorized General Yury Zakharanka memorial picket on 7 May in front of the building of Homel regional police department. As a result, Vasil Paliakou may face a fine or an imprisonment of up to 15 days.