The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 3 Nov 2007

03.11.2007 Nasta Azarka Detained

The girl was detained while she was trying to hitch-hike to Minsk. At first, in the morning, she was detained in Niasvizh. She was taken to Niasvizh district police department and spent there an hour. Then he was put in a patrol car and the police started driving her around the town. When they went out to buy cigarettes she escaped from the car. Soon she was detained again. Now she is kept in Haradzeya district police department. No charges are given to her, but the policemen openly say that she would be kept there till the end of the Social March that is to take place on 4 November.

03.11.2007 Verdicts to Detained for ‘Social March’ Leaflets Distribution

The court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk sentenced the applicant for holding the Social March Mikhail Pashkevich to 3 days of arrest. A youth activist Mikalai Serhiyenka was sentenced to 15 days of arrest by the court of Partyzanski district of Minsk. Judge Natallia Chatviartkova believes that he had violated article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (violation of rules of mass events).

03.11.2007 All Detained Halloween Participants Sentenced to Arrest

Tatsiana Lashkarova was the first to get a term. The judge of Savetski district court of Minsk Liudmila Savastsian sentenced the girl to 5 days of administrative arrest. Tatsiana said that the report of detention was not true. Young people were charged with petty hooliganism. Their appearance allegedly was an ‘outrage against public morality’.

03.11.2007 Attempt to Get Rehabilitation for Larysa Heniyush

On 1 November the Organizing Committee on Commemoration of Stalin repressions victims, the Union of Belarusian Writers, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee has sent a proposal to rehabilitate a well-known Belarusian poet Larysa Heniyush (Heniusz).

03.11.2007 Belarusian Social-Democratic Party ‘Narodnaya Hramada’ Cannot Rent Room for Constituent Assembly

The event is scheduled for 17 November. However, according to the leader of social-democrats Mikalai Statkevich, the party representatives cannot find a room to rent.

03.11.2007 ‘Perspective’ Activists Ask Permit for 19 November Meeting

According to the chair of the republican NGO Perspective Anatol Shumchanka, at present the main problems of entrepreneurs are connected with the enforcement of presidential decree #760 on 1 January 2008. Since that time individual entrepreneurs will not be able to employ workers except for close relatives. Even then the maximal number of employees is three.

03.11.2007 People Can Be 'Fined' for Complaining to State Organs

On 15 January 2008 a presidential decree about additional measures on work with applications of individuals and legal organs will come into force.

03.11.2007 Homel: KGB Interrogates L.Sudalenka Concerning ‘Young Front’ Case

On 2 November the chair of Homel regional office of the republican NGO Legal Initiative Leanid Sudalenka was interrogated at the local KGB office as a witness in the criminal case concerning the activity of an unregistered NGO Young Front.

03.11.2007 Stanislau Kavaleuski Detained

In the morning of 2 November in Mahiliou the police detained the youth activist Stanislau Kavaleuski. Kavaleuski and his friends were going to the university, when a police car approached them. The policemen told that the youngsters reminded of the robbers who had committed a crime half an hour ago. The students were taken to a police station. There the policemen searched their belongings and found in Kavaleuski’s bag leaflets with the heading ‘The authorities rob the students!’

03.11.2007 Flash-mob Against Repeal of Social Benefits

At 1.20 p.m. about 10 youngsters lined up near the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences with a banner ‘No to repeal of the benefits’. They stood there for about 10 minutes and managed to hand out about 300 leaflets with the heading ‘Return our legal benefits’. The leaflet told about the liquidation of benefits to veterans of work, under-aged convicts of Nazi camps, disabled children, children before the age of three, ordinary policemen and the police administration. The leaflets also called the people to join the Social March that will take place on 4 November.