27.10.2020 Amid vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters, authorities arrest workers planning strike
The Belarusian government must immediately end police violence against peaceful protesters. Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested and facing administrative or criminal proceedings merely for trying to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and their rights to form independent associations and to strike.
26.10.2020 Over 500 detained in protests across Belarus
Over 500 protesters were detained in some twenty demonstrations held yesterday in various parts of Belarus, including 160 persons in Minsk, the Interior Ministry said. 350 persons will stand administrative trials, it added.
23.10.2020 HRDs condemn government-run Constitutional reform as “attempt to silence gross human rights violations”
We believe that the process of discussing changes to the Constitution organized by the authorities is an attempt to silence gross human rights violations, including torture of thousands of detainees. In the current catastrophic human rights situation in Belarus, the full devaluation of the rule of law, in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, and given that a number of potential dialogue actors who enjoy the support of Belarusian society are in imprisonment, some de facto in exile, it is impossible to conduct a truly inclusive and effective process of discussing changes to the Constitution.
22.10.2020 2020 Sakharov Prize awarded to democratic opposition in Belarus
The democratic opposition in Belarus has been awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
21.10.2020 Human rights coalition calls 9 more persons political prisoners
Joint statement by the human rights organizations of Belarus
19.10.2020 Persons under house arrest are still political prisoners
Three political prisoners released from pre-trial detention after Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s visit to the KGB prison on October 10 have been placed under house arrest. Four more were subjected to less stringent restrictions, known as release on own recognizance.
19.10.2020 240 detained in Sunday March of Partisans
At least 242 people were detained at yesterday’s series of protests, jointly named the March of Partisans. The demonstrations were held in a dozen Belarusian cities on Day 71 of post-election protests.
19.10.2020 Vitaly Shklyarov, Liliya Ulasava released from pre-trial detention
Vitaly Shklyarov, a Belarusian-American political scientist facing politically motivated criminal charges in Belarus, has been released from pre-trial detention, according to his lawyer Anton Hashynski.
17.10.2020 Political prisoner Illia Salei is free
Illia Salei, a lawyer who was earlier arrested on criminal charges, has been released from pre-trial detention, according to reliable sources.
16.10.2020 What peaceful protesting is like in Belarus: Husband facing criminal charges, wife and children flee country
A man in Homieĺ is facing five years in prison for allegedly resisting the actions of police officers at a protest held on September 27, gomelspring.org said.
15.10.2020 Babaryka and Kalesnikava’s lawyer to be disbarred
The Ministry of Justice has ordered today to revoke the license of Aliaksandr Pylchanka, counsel for arrested opposition leaders Viktar Babaryka and Maryia Kalesnikava. The ruling is not final, but it is likely to be approved by the Bar Association.
13.10.2020 Two more PandaDoc prisoners walk free
Political prisoners Yulia Shardyka and Uladzislau Mikhalap have been released today, according to their lawyers.
13.10.2020 Viasna calls to drop criminal charges against volunteer Andrei Chapiuk
Statement by the Board of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”
12.10.2020 600 detained in violent dispersal of Sunday protests
Some 600 people were detained following yesterday’s protests held in Minsk and other cities of Belarus. Most of them were arrested in the capital during the violent dispersal of a peaceful gathering in central Minsk in the afternoon and a series of smaller protests held in the city’s districts in the evening.
10.10.2020 On World Day against the Death Penalty, EU and CoE call on Belarus to end executions
Today on the World and European Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their opposition to the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and call for the universal abolition of the death penalty. We welcome the continued decline in the use of the death penalty, confirming the overall trend towards universal abolition.