The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 11 Jul 2008

11.07.2008 United opposition nominates about 150 candidates to 110 district electoral commissions

11 July is the last day for nomination of candidates to district electoral commissions. Yet before the elections the United Democratic stated their intention to propose a candidate to each of 110 district electoral commissions.

11.07.2008 Detained UCP Members are punished for ‘dirty swearing’

The judge of Tsentralny district court of Minsk Tatsiana Pauliuchuk found the activists of the United Civil Party who have been detained today guilty under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code, petty hooliganism. Kiryl Paulouski was sentenced to 10 days of jail, Mikhail Pashkevich and Vital Stazharau – to 15 days.

11.07.2008 Ales Bialiatski: ‘A civil intimidation campaign has been started against the background of the electoral campaign’

On 11 July human rights activists, relatives of the arrested ex-members of White Legion and democratic leaders held a press conference dedicated to the groundless arrests in connection with the blast which had taken place on 4 July in Minsk, at celebration of the official Independence Day.

11.07.2008 Tax inspection still interested in Valiantsin Stefanovich’s income

After the end of the press-conference dedicated to the present arrests and other forms of pressurization applied towards democratic activists within the frames of investigation of the criminal case brought on the fact of the 4 July blast in Minsk, the representative of the Committee of financial investigations in Minsk and Minsk oblast Yu.Bobin phoned to the apartment of the human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich to hand a writ to him. Valiantsin’s wife refused to open the door in the absence of husband.

11.07.2008 Statement of Presidium of the political council of the United Democratic Forces

The authorities started using the 4 July blast in Minsk for lynching the political opposition, instead of searching the real criminals. As of 11 July 2008, 16 persons were arrested. The majority of them are activists and members of different democratic political parties, public initiatives and electoral headquarters of the candidates of the United Democratic Forces. Youth activists are terrorized and detained for protest against repressions. The atmosphere of unpunished lawlessness predominates in the country during the electoral campaign.

11.07.2008 Zhlobin: nominee to electoral commission is pressurized by financial police

At 10 p.m. on 10 July the resident of Zhlobin, entrepreneur and public activist Anatol Papou received a telephone call from a man who introduced himself as a worker of the financial police Karotki. He explained that he was standing at the door of Papou’s private house and needed to hand a writ to him. By this writ the activist was invited to the local department of financial police on 14 July for filling in an income declaration. ‘I don’t have to do it, because my only source of income is my business activity. As I haven’t ever been summonsed to the financial police before, I think it is connected with my public activities and my nomination to a district electoral commission,’ commented Papou.

11.07.2008 Hrodna: police are after Mikola Markevich’s sons

On 11 July Hrodna journalist, former political prisoner Mikola Markevich informed RFE/RL that his sons Aliaksei and Mikola are summonsed to the police.

11.07.2008 Book offices watch foreign travels

Since 1 July the international book offices of Minsk bus stations gather the passport data of the passengers who travel to Lithuania and Poland. Now it is necessary to present a passport or its Xerox copy to book a ticket. The administration of the book offices said to ERB that this information was gathered for ‘higher authorities’, who needed to know where the citizens travelled.

11.07.2008 Hrodna: pressurization of democratic nominee to electoral commission

In Hrodna the director of Hrodna electro-technical college Dzemchanka demanded that Alexander Pahuliayeu, teacher of this college, revoked his candidacy from Hrodna village district electoral commission #52. Pahuliayeu has been nominated there by the United Civil Party.

11.07.2008 Pastor’s house set afire thrice this month

According to the informational center Evangelic Belarus, at 3.30 a.m. on 10 July in Mahiliou there has been committed an attempt of arson of a private house belonging to Viktar Masharouski, pastor of Mahiliou church of Evangelic Christians.

11.07.2008 Vitsebsk: Barys Khamaida gets imprisoned as a result of provocation

On 8, 9 and 10 July the police detained Barys Khamaida for handing out independent press. Each time he was detained for two hours and then was released.

11.07.2008 Homel: authorities prohibit collecting signatures for nomination of candidates to electoral commissions

The resident of Homel Yanina Kavalchuk has complained to RFE/RL that obstacles have been put to her while she was collecting signatures for nomination of the representative of the Independent trade union of radio electronic industry Viktar Kazou to Homel-Navabelitskaya district electoral commission #36.

11.07.2008 Police pay a visit to Zmitser Bandarenka’s apartment

On 11 July police visited the apartment of Charter'97 coordinator, one of the leaders of the civil campaign European Belarus Zmitser Bandarenka. His wife was there at the moment, and she refused to let them enter. So far policemen haven’t tried to smash the door open.

11.07.2008 13 persons in jail: groundless arrests of opposition activists continue

After the blast of a home-made bomb at the concert on 4 July Illia Bohdan, Siarhei Chyslau, Anton Koipish, Ihar Korsak, Pavel Kuryianovich Miraslau Lazouski, Viktar Liashchynski, Mikhail Pashkevich, Kiryl Paulouski, Tatsiana Pikun, Alexander Siarheyenka, Vital Stazharau and Siarhei Vysotski have been detained.

11.07.2008 Human Rights Watch calls Prosecutor General to drop charges against Andrei Kim

Human Rights Watch is an international, nonpartisan, nongovernmental human rights organization with offices around the world, including New York, London, Berlin, Geneva, Brussels, Moscow, and Tashkent. Its Europe and Central Asia division has monitored and urged compliance with the human rights provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Accords in signatory countries and with international human rights law since the organization was formed in 1978. We are writing to express our profound concern about the recent arrests and disproportionate sentences of 10 youth activists for participating in a peaceful, but unsanctioned, protest on January 10, 2008. We are especially concerned about Andrei Kim, who is among these ten and who was arrested at a subsequent peaceful protest on January 21. He was charged with violations related to both protests and received a disproportionately harsh sentence for offences based on what we believe to be political reasons.