30.09.2009 Article 193-1 may be repealed, says Ministry of Justice

The Belarusian Ministry of Justice says the infamous Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code (illegal NGO membership) may soon be repealed. The statement was made at the OSCE annual Human Dimension Meeting in Warsaw, Poland. Representatives of Belarusian NGOs have presented their reports on the situation in the field of freedom of association in Belarus, including the application of Article 193-1 as a means of harassing members of unregistered NGOs. Valiantsin Stefanovich, lawyer of the Human Rights Center Viasna, spoke on Nasha Viasna’s registration trial at the Supreme Court on 10-12 August 2009.

30.09.2009 Mass arrests of opposition leaders in Minsk

The United Civil party leader Anatol Lyabedzka and the chairman of the Communist party Syarhei Kalyakin were detained.

Anatol Lyabedzka, the UCP leader, was arrested first. With activists of his party he was handing out leaflets about the anti-crisis platform of the United Democratic Forces.

The detained leader of the party Anatol Lyabedzka and activist Alyaksandr Stsepanenka were taken to the police department of Savetski district of Minsk.

Later the leader of the Communist party of Belarus Syarhei Kalyakin was detained while handing out leaflets near the entrance of Minsk Tractor plant.

30.09.2009 Oppositionist spent two hours in militia department for spreading anti-crisis leaflets

Militia confiscated information materials for “expert examination” from Vasil Palyakou, an activist of the United Civil Party from Homel.

On September 29, Ryma Yastremskaya, the ideology deputy head of the Rahachou district executive committee, and a group of people detained head of the UCP Homel region branch Vasil Palyakou, Radio Svaboda reports.

The oppositionist was handing round leaflets calling the local authorities to return privileges for travelling by community transport to pensioners, students, schoolchildren, and physically disabled.