The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

25.06.2012 Inmates called for “conversations” for talking to Byalyatski

Inmates of Babruisk penal colony No. 3 cannot talk to human rights activist Ales Byalyatski.

25.06.2012 Siarhei Kavalenka is in punishment cell for 10 days

Siarhei Kavalenka, Vitsebsk activist of the Conservative Christian Party “Belarusian Popular Front”, sentenced to a prison term for violation of parole restrictions, has been placed in a punishment isolation cell in Mahiliou penal colony No. 19.

25.06.2012 Civil Rights Defenders: Protest against the treatment of Ales Bialiatski in prison

Ales Bialiatski has received reprimands in prison as well as being subjected to restrictive measures. Civil Rights Defenders is deeply concerned for Ales Bialiatski’s situation and urges the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenka to immediately and unconditionally release the Belarusian human rights defender, in an open letter sent on Thursday.

22.06.2012 Riot in penal colony in Ivatsevichy

Inmates cut their arms and stomachs and went on hunger strike protesting against abuse of power by prison authorities.

22.06.2012 UN to address discrimination of women in Belarusian detention centers

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has appointed three Special Rapporteurs to monitor the situation in Belarusian pre-trial prisons, as part of the case of Brest resident Mrs. Inha Abramava.

18.06.2012 Opposition activist Dashkevich transferred from cell-type room to regular prison unit

Imprisoned opposition activist Zmitser Dashkevich has been transferred from a cell-type room back to a regular unit at a correctional institution in Hlybokaye, the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported with reference to opposition politician Paval Sevyarynets.

18.06.2012 Group unveils report on rights abuses in prisons

A human rights group called Platforma on Monday unveiled a report on rights abuses in detention centers and correctional institutions in Belarus.

18.06.2012 Investigative Committee examining complaint by wife of imprisoned opposition activist Syarhey Kavalenka

A Vitsyebsk district department of the Investigative Committee is examining a complaint by Syarhey Kavalenka’s wife about a video of the imprisoned opposition activist that has been posted on the Internet by prison officers.

24.05.2012 Pre-trial detention: measure of restraint or punishment?

The law enforcement agencies of Belarus have drafted a bill “On Making Addenda and Amendments to the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedures, and the Penal Code of Belarus, as well as the Code of Administrative Offences”, said Mrs. Natallia Andreyeva, head of the department of procedural control over the investigation of crimes against property of the Investigative Committee of Belarus, at a briefing with a BelTA news agency reporter.

22.05.2012 Arrested Mikalai Dzemidzenka taken to hospital

Young Front activist Mikalai Dzemidzenka has been guarded from a detention centre to hospital No. 9.

21.05.2012 Viasna launches campaign to monitor penal system

All information concerning the analysis of penal law and penal system monitoring will be published in a thematic section on the website of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

The section’s expert is lawyer Pavel Sapelka.

Here is an article by Pavel Sapelka, dealing with the urgency of the issue of human rights violations against people in custody, those serving sentences and held in other institutions.

21.05.2012 Baranavichy human rights defender urges MPs to humanize penal legislation

Mrs. Anzhalika Kambalava, member of Baranavichy office of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, has sent an open letter to chairman of the House of Representatives’ Legislation Commission Mikalai Samaseika, together with MPs Sviatlana Pishch and Anatol Vankovich, suggesting humanization of the country’s penal legislation.