04.03.2009 Authorities demand that Siarhei Parsiukevich pays compensation to policeman

Former political prisoner Siarhei Parsiukevich must pay compensation for ‘moral damage’ to the policeman who was beating him.

26.02.2009 Will Belarus get another political prisoner?

On 25 February a court sitting on the criminal case against Yana Paliakova took place at Salihorsk district court. She is charged with violation of article 400, part 2, ‘Knowingly false delation’ that envisages up to five years of imprisonment, saligorsk.org informs.

24.02.2009 Pickets in support of political prisoners near pre-trial detention center in Valadarski Street

Pickets of solidarity with new political prisoners continue to take place near the pre-trial detention center of city militia department of the Minsk city executive committee.

At 6.00 p.m. February 23, activists of the civil campaign “European Belarus” came to the pre-trial detention center in Valadarski Street. They held portraits of Maksim Dashuk, a new Belarusian political prisoner, arrested on Monday. In spite of attempts of riot militia to stop it, the picket lasted for 30 minutes, as it was planned.

23.02.2009 Valyantsin Stefanovich: Any convicted in Process of Fourteen could become next arrested

A well-known Belarusian human rights activist has commented to the Cgarter’97 press-centre the arrest of the underage participant of the Process of Fourteen Maxim Dashuk.

“As it turned out today, another political prisoner Maxim Dashuk was arrested,” Valyantsin Stefanovich said. “It is important to note that since the case of Shydlouski-Labkovich minors haven’t been arrested on political grounds (minors Alyaksei Shydlouski and Vadzim Labkovich were arrested on August 25, 1997 for painting “political” graffiti on the walls of housed in the town of Staubtsy, Minsk region, and for removing the state flag from the building of Staubsty district executive committee. – Charter’97). And Dashuk and Dubski were seized on political motives. They were persecuted for participation in the rally of market vendors on January 10, 2008, for expression of their position, realizing their right for freedom of expression”.

13.02.2009 Homel: political prisoner Artsiom Dubski detained

Now the activist faces punishment under Article 415 of the Criminal Code (‘evasion from serving the penalty’). The matter is that last winter Artsiom has been sentenced to two years of personal restraint within the frames of the ‘case of 14’, for participation in a peaceful action of protest, staged by entrepreneurs.

13.02.2009 More political prisoners in Belarus?

Arrest of the leaders of entrepreneurs’ movement Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka makes obvious the new wave of political repressions in Belarus. It has been stated by human rights activists, activists of the Belarusian opposition and former political prisoners at a press-conference held on 12 February in Minsk.

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.

05.02.2009 Performance against home arrest to opposition activists

On 4 February a performance was held in the centre of Minsk in defense of oppositional activists sentenced to house arrest for participation in the protest rally of market vendors.

02.02.2009 Youth protest against politically motivated drafts into the army

More than a dozen of activists of the unregistered organization Young Front held participated in the action of protest opposite the building of the Ministry of Defense. They stood there with the banner ‘No to political army drafting!’ and chanted ‘Freedom to Shyla! Freedom to Franak! Freedom to Khvedaruk!’

27.01.2009 Formally, Autukhovich still serves his term

According to www.pahonia.promedia.by, the former political prisoner and businessman Mikalai Autukhovich is still under personal restraint.

Autukhovich says he was to be released on parole a few months ago, but the papers filed by a special supervision commission must have been lost in the police lobbies. Mikalai Autukhovich was sentenced to 42 months of imprisonment for tax evasion and business violations in July 2006. The businessman did not admit his guilt. Last year he was released on parole at the insistence of a number of influential EU diplomats and politicians.

13.01.2009 Minsk city court turns down Alexander Barazenka’s appeal

On 13 January Minsk city court considered the cassation appeal of the political prisoner Barazenka against the verdict that had been issued to him by Tsentralny district court of Minsk as one of the defendants in the ‘case of 14’.

09.12.2008 Alexander Barazenka is sentenced to one year of personal restraint

The hearings on the criminal case against Alexander Barazenka at Tsentralny district court came to an end. Procurator Tsikhavets demanded that the accused was sentenced to 18 months of personal restraint without direction to an open prison. Alexander Barazenka did not take the blame.

09.12.2008 Communist secretary and BRSM ‘specialist’ Tsiukhai organizes provocation at political trial

RFE/RL found out the name of a person who took students of Belarusian Agricultural Technical University to the trial over the political prisoner and insulted Alexander Barazenka’s mother.

08.12.2008 Trial over Barazenka: policemen beat youth leader Andrei Kim

Policemen in mufti beat the youth leader Andrei Kim near Tsentralny district court of Minsk, where the political prisoner Alexander Barazenka was tried. Kim was beaten when Barazenka was being taken out of the court and the people who came to support him started chanting ‘Freedom!’ and ‘Long Live Belarus!’ Three policemen in mufti assaulted him.

08.12.2008 Fireworks in honor of Alexander Barazenka

On 7 December, the last day before the trial, a rally of solidarity with the imprisoned activist of European Belarus campaign Ales Barazenka was held in front of the remand prison in Valadarski Street.