30.08.2007 Riot Squad Not Punished for Beating a Girl

Maskouski district police department of Minsk refused to bring a criminal case on beating of a youth activist Tatsiana Tsishkevich by riot police. The girl was beaten by them on Solidarity Day, 16 August, while trying to prevent the detention of a youth leader Mikita Sasim by them. They threw her on the ground and started kicking her in the back, legs and head.

30.08.2007 Homel: Youth Activist Declares Dry Hunger-strike

At 2 p.m. on 29 August Chyhunachny district court of Homel sentenced a member of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Kanstantsin Zhukouski to 5 days of jail and 930 000 (about 430 US dollars) rubles fine.

30.08.2007 Trial of Young Front Activist Yaraslau Hryshchenia to Take Place on 10 September

On 29 August the youth activist Yaraslau Hryshchenia received a summons from Baranavichy district court. According to this document the trial will start at 9.30 a.m. on 10 September. The name of the judge is not known yet. Hryshchenia is charged under article 193.1 of the Criminal Code, ‘activities on behalf of unregistered organization’. On 4 September the Young Front activists Ivan Shyla and Nasta Azarka will be tried: the former in Salihorsk and the latter – in Niasvizh.

30.08.2007 Minsk City Court Leaves Verdict to Kanstantsin Lukashou in Force

In the evening of 28 August Minsk city court left unchanged the verdict to Kanstantsin Lukashou, two years of conditional imprisonment for alleged resistance to the police.

30.08.2007 Criminal Cases Can Be Brought against More Young Front Members

The prosecutor’s office of Baranavichy has brought a criminal case on the fact of making political graffiti on the walls of Baranavichy city court.

30.08.2007 Hrodna: Prosecutor’s Office Struggles against ‘Discredit of Police’

On 29 August the journalist Ivan Roman was called to Leninski district prosecutor’s office of Hrodna. The prosecutor started investigating if Ivan Roman had been the author of ‘the governmental body discrediting’ news story published at Radio Ratsyja website in July.

30.08.2007 UN Commission Pays Interest to Investigation of Zakharanka’s Disappearance

The UN Commission on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance resumed its interest in the case of the former interior minister Yury Zakharanka who had disappeared in 1999. A couple of days ago a corresponding UNO claim was received by the Zkharankas’ lawyer Aleh Volchak. According to him, the UN Commission is to gather at its extraordinary meeting for considering the record of investigations of the disappeared policymakers’ cases in Belarus. The Commission is eager to learn the viewpoints of all the sides involved in the process.

30.08.2007 Russian Citizen on Hunger-strike in Minsk Prison

On 24 August the citizen of Russia Nikolai Kostishev imprisoned in jail #1 went on hunger-strike. The organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian committee for protection of prisoners’ rights Over the Barrier was informed about it by one of the prisoner’s relatives.

28.08.2007 Benita Ferrero-Waldner Dismayed by New Arrests and Detentions in Belarus

On 24 August the EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner stated:

‘Following the arrest and detention of several members of the Belarusian democratic opposition in July, which I had strongly condemned, I am dismayed by the new arrests and detentions reported over the last days, including that of Mr. Severinets, who was also among those detained in July. I call once again on the Belarusian authorities to release all those detained on political grounds without delay, and to respect the inalienable rights of the people of Belarus to assemble peacefully and express themselves freely.

28.08.2007 27 August 1937 – Day of First Mass Fusillade in Minsk

On 27 August 2007 there have turned 70 years since the first mass fusillade of Belarusian intellectuals. On 27 August 1037 NKVD butchers shot a group of archeologists, teachers and Catholic priests, all in all more than 50 persons. A mournful event in their memory took place in Kurapaty wood.

28.08.2007 Homel: United Civil Party Applies to Prosecutor’s Office Concerning Office Trespass

On 28 August Homel regional UCP organization applied to the head of Chyhunachny district police department of Homel and to the district prosecutor’s office in connection with an illegal police raid to its office. During their visit the police examined the office, videoed it and detained the present people.

28.08.2007 Mahiliou: Police Release Under-aged Activists

At about 8 p.m. on 27 August the under-aged youth activists Aleh Kashtanau and Rastsislau Pankratau were taken to a police station of Leninski district police department of Mahiliou. The detention was ordered by a deputy chair of Mahiliou regional police department, who stated that he had seen them handing out white-red-white stripes and passing a white-red-white flag to each other.

28.08.2007 Do Mahiliou Medics Finally Get Punished for Detaining Shatsikava?

On 23 August the college board of Mahiliou regional court refused to bring a criminal case on the fact of kidnap of a public activist Krystsina Shatsikava and her illegal placement to a hospital. Two days later Shatsikava received a letter in which the head of Mahiliou regional department of health care Valery Malashka indirectly confessed that her rights had been violated by medics of Mahiliou mental hospital.

28.08.2007 Pavel Seviarynets Is Allowed to Have Radio, but Prohibited to Meet with Mother

On 19 August the youth leader Pavel Seviarynets was detained in Brest during presentation of his book Letters from Forest. On 22 August he was sentenced to 15 days of jail.

28.08.2007 ‘Arena’ Music Club Closed on Order of Minsk Authorities

According to the director of the musical club Arena Ihar Shabetnik the club can no longer issue any performance certificates for concerts because of the appropriate order of the main police department of Minsk city executive committee.