The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for June 2009

30.06.2009 Belarusian authorities use Article 193.1 against religious organization

Minsk city prosecutor’s office brought a criminal case under Article 193.1 of the Republic of Belarus against a representative of a religious organization. 25-year-old citizen of Minsk Yauhen Voukau is accused of activities on behalf of the unregistered Movement of Unity (Mun’s Church).

30.06.2009 Anton Yasinovich gets no compensation of moral harm

On 23 June 2009 Vitsebsk oblast court considered the lawsuit of Navapolatsk activist Anton Yasinovich.

30.06.2009 Human rights defender Raman Yurhel lost his job

On 23 June Raman Yurhel, representative of the republican human rights NGOs Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Hrodna oblast, was dismissed from the position of watchman at Hrodnaselbudprayekt on grounds of redundancy. The administration of the enterprise warned him about it a month before it.

30.06.2009 Uladzimir Katsora stopped hunger-strike

The leader of Homel oppositionists Uladzimir Katsora, who has been arrested for an action in the memory of the police general Yury Zakharanka, stopped dry hunger-strike after six days.

30.06.2009 Alexander Milinkevich applies Homel oblast court and prosecutor’s office

The leader of the For Freedom movement Alexander Milinkevich has addressed the head of Homel oblast court Liudmila Mikhalkova and the prosecutor of Homel oblast Valiantsin Shayeu. In his address he states that the founder of human rights educational association For Freedom Uladzimir Katsora has been several times sentenced to administrative arrest for far-fetched reasons.

30.06.2009 Ivan Shyla: ‘I was put in a solitary cell 3 x 3 meters’

On 19-26 June the youth activist Ivan Shyla, forcedly drafted into the army, served a seven-day disciplinary arrest in the army unit. He was sentenced to it for using a mobile phone.

30.06.2009 Mikalai Autukhovich’s state of health deteriorates

The entrepreneur from Vaukavysk Mikalai Autukhovich has already been on hunger strike for more than 70 days in Minsk pre-trial detention center #1.

30.06.2009 Another death sentence in Belarus

Brest oblast court sentenced a 30-year-old man to death for multiple murders. His 2-year-old accomplice got a life sentence with serving the punishment in a high-security penal colony.

30.06.2009 Anatol Liabedzka summoned to prosecutor’s office

On 27 June the chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka received a writ to the prosecutor’s office of Tsentralny district in Minsk.

30.06.2009 Artur Finkevich is fined for spreading leaflets

The leader of Young Belarus Artur Finkevich was detained ahead of a street action and accused of spreading leaflets calling to take part in rallies.

30.06.2009 Human rights defenders call on prosecutor general to release Vaukavysk entrepreneurs

Human rights defenders have appealed to the prosecutor general with the request to free three opponents of the government, Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka, from custody.

30.06.2009 Babruisk: deportation of missioner from Nigeria

On 23 June the police arrested the preacher Simon Milongo after a service in Slova Nadzei Evangelic Church.

30.06.2009 Follow-up Note on the View Belyatsky et al. vs. Belarus

The Human Rights House Foundation (Oslo, Norway, and Geneva, Switzerland) and the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in Vilnius, Lithuania, hereby submit the present follow-up note to the Human Rights Committee (hereinafter, “HR Committee”) on the View Belyatsky et al. vs. Belarus on the communication No. 1296/2004 of 24 July 2007, published on 7 August 2007 (hereinafter, “the View”).

29.06.2009 Vitsebsk: poetess demands 7 million rubles from human rights defender Leanid Svetsik

Tamara Krasnova-Husachenka has filed a lawsuit with Vitsebsk oblast court where the legal proceedings concerning the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik still continue. She demands from him 7 million rubles in alleged damages to her health.

29.06.2009 Ivan Kruk is fined for giving several newspapers to neighbor

On 26 June Astravets district court ruled that the local democratic activist Ivan Kruk was to be fined 700 000 rubles for ‘distribution of periodicals without imprint’.