The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2010

Human Rights Center <em>Viasna</em> congratulates you on the Human Rights Day!

10.12.2010 Human Rights Center Viasna congratulates you on the Human Rights Day!

Dear colleagues, friends, like-minded persons and opponents, visitors of the website of the Human Rights Center Viasna! We congratulate you on the Human Rights Day!

10.12.2010 Detentions on the way to Kastrychnitskaya Square

About 15 activists of the Citizen campaign were detained for a short period of time in Minsk on 10 December. Others managed to walk along Nezalezhnastski Avenue towards Kastrychnitskaya Square with transparencies saying: ‘We have been forbidden to speak loudly!’, ‘We have been forbidden to gather in groups of more than three people’ and ‘We have been forbidden to drink coffee’, reports BelaPAN.

10.12.2010 10 December action of human rights defenders in Minsk

On 10 December human rights defenders and participants of youth movements held an action dedicated to the Human Rights Day. They handed out several thousand copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to residents of Minsk.

10.12.2010 Maladechna: administration of the Minsk Furniture Center organizes forced voting

A resident of Maladechna was the first person who responded to the appeal of Human Rights Defenders of Free Elections. He informed us that the heads of the departments, workshops and shifts of the joint venture Minsk Furniture Center received papers for the account of those who voted: the memo The order of providing information about the pace of voting at the election of President of the Republic f Belarus and the Model of filling of results of elections.

10.12.2010 European human rights organizations started collecting signatures under the petition to President of Belarus

On 10 December, the Human Rights Day, the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in Vilnius in cooperation with other organization declares the beginning of the electronic collection of signatures to the incumbent and to the future President of Belarus at the website http://www.belarus-petition.org.

10.12.2010 Many ’observers’ at the Slutsk District Election Commission

According to human rights defender Vital Amialkovich, the majority of observers accredited at the Slutsk District Election Commission are put there for the sake of appearance.

10.12.2010 Dzmitry Dashkevich detained again

The leader of the Young Front was detained in Minsk for the second time during one day on a ridiculous and accusation.

10.12.2010 Maladechna: where are the electoral teams of the majority of presidential candidates?

Little time remains till the beginning of voting, but residents of Maladechna can see only the agitation production of Ryhor Kastusiou, Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Andrei Sannikau. It’s quite strange, as signatures in support of presidential candidates were collected in Maladechna by representatives of seven electoral teams besides Lukashenka’s.

09.12.2010 Orsha officials try to deceive OSCE observers

The meeting of members of the electoral teams of democratic candidates with OSCE observers in Orsha left interesting impressions. According to the international observers, officials of the Orsha Town Executive Committee said that only one of them had been included in the town election commission. In fact, there are two of them: Ina Khamutouskaya, executive officer of the Orsha TEC, and Aleh Smirnouski – Chairperson of the department of youth affairs.

09.12.2010 Minsk: member of precinct election commission nominated by BPF Party tries to restore her rights

A member of the precinct election commission #104 of the Maskouski District of Minsk Iryna Smiayan-Semianiuk applied to the Central Election Commission and the Minsk City Election Commission with a complaint about unlawful actions by the commission Chairperson, Yury Nasonau. As stated in the complaint, in violation of Part 3 of Article 37 of the Electoral Code of Belarus I.Smiayan-Semianiuk was not invited to the meeting of the commission, except the first two ones.

09.12.2010 Swedish human rights defender Martin Uggla was denied the Belarusian visa

The Belarusian Embassy in Stockholm has once again denied visa to Martin Uggla, Chairperson of the Swedish human rights organization Östgruppen.

09.12.2010 Vitsebsk: female agitators are detained and insulted

On 8 December the guards of the shopping center Evicom detained the electioneering agent of Vital Rymasheuski, Tatsiana Seviarynets (pictured) for handing out electoral leaflets of the candidate. On 9 December Alena Famina, an electioneering agent of the presidential candidate Dzmitry Us, was removed from the building of Vitsebsk State University with the use of physical force.

09.12.2010 Krupki: Artist Ales Pushkin sentenced to 13 days of jail

On 8 December the Pushkins’ house in the town of Bobr (in the Krupki district of the Minsk region) was visited by their neighbor Yason Lazarevich, who was inebriated and tried to provoke a fight. The incident was witnessed by Pushkin’s wife, Yanina. Soon after the neighbor had gone away a police patrol arrived. The policemen stated they have received a complaint that Mr. Pushkin had beaten a man.

09.12.2010 Minsk: the dean’s office of philological faculty of Belarusian State University threatens a Young Front activist

A second-year student of the philological faculty of Belarusian State University Kasia Davydzik was summonsed to the office of the Deputy Dean, Siarhei Vazhnik. He showed her photos from the street action held under the slogan Retire! (addressed to Lukashenka), on the top of which her surname was written in Russian. The official said that had had been asked to take explanations from her.

09.12.2010 Homel: police detain an activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy

On 8 December officers of the Navabelitski District Police Department of Homel detained a BCD member Dzmitry Adamovich for putting posters in an improper place.