The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 14 Mar 2011

14.03.2011 Zhodzina: Young Front activist detained for calling Lukashenka to retire

Raman Vasiliyeu, a 21-year-old Young Front activist from Zhodzina, will be tried for writing “Sasha, retire!”. The police detained him on the way home. They put him on his knees facing the wall where the graffiti was made, twisted back his arms and put them in handcuffs. He had to wait for the patrol car and experts in such position.

14.03.2011 Human rights defender Viktar Sazonau detained on the border

The car with a Hrodna human rights defender, Viktar Sazonau, was detained in the morning at the border crossing point Berastavitsa-Babrouniki, on the way to Poland.

14.03.2011 Zmitser Dashkevich is threatened with a maximal sentence and black hole in the colony

An officer of the military counter-intelligence paid a visit to Zmitser Dashkevich, Chair of the Young Front, who is kept in the pre-trial prison in Valadarski Street in Minsk on charges of malignant hooliganism.

14.03.2011 Court dismisses appeal of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee

On 12 March the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus dismissed the appeal of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee against the warning that had been issued to the organization by the Ministry of Justice on 12 January, after the human rights defenders informed Gabriela Knaul, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers about pressurization of the lawyers who defended figurants of the 19 December mass riot case.

14.03.2011 Homel: riot police detains journalists during flash-mob against prohibition of performance of Lyapis Trubetskoy rock band

On Sunday, 13 March, civil activists held a flash-mob in the central market of Homel to protest against the prohibition of the concert of the prominent Belarusian rock band Lyapis Trubetskoy. By the way, the fact of prohibition of the concert witnesses the trustworthiness of the information that Lyapis Trubetskoy and some more bands, and artists were put on an unofficial black list by the Belarusian authorities.

14.03.2011 Dzmitry Bulanau, an accused in the “mass riot” case, transferred to prison hospital

He could not walk on his own. His mother, Klaudziya Bulanava, informed Nasha Niva that recurrent rheumatic fever had been diagnosed in her son. Despite the fact, the woman is still not allowed to meet her son – she receives all information about his health from the lawyer.

14.03.2011 Presidential candidate and former KGB prisoner Aliaksei Mikhalevich fled from Belarus

The presidential candidate has written in his blog that now he is in the place “out of reach for the KGB”.

14.03.2011 Police witnesses lie, judge trusts them

Journalists have found out that during the trials over the participants of 19 December events the key witnesses secrete their real personal details.

14.03.2011 Andrei Sannikau has new lawyer

As charter97.org website was informed by Alla Sannikava, she managed to find a lawyer who agreed to defend the presidential candidate. The previous lawyer of Andrei Sannikau, Pavel Sapelka, had been deprived of advocatory license. Now the political prisoner is to be defended by the lawyer Maryna Kavaleuskaya from the legal advice bureau of the Frunzenski district of Minsk.

14.03.2011 KGB looking for European Belarus activist

Police and KGB officers are terrorizing Nadzezhda Zhorava, a disabled person, mother of Vasil Zhorau, in order to find out his location.

14.03.2011 Political prisoners are being sent to prisons

On 12 March judgments to Dzmitry Novik and Aliaksandr Malchanau, convicted participants of the protest rally on Independence Square on 19 December, entered into legal force. They were found guilty with participation in mass riots and sentenced to 3.5 and 3 years respectively.

Analytical review of the court proceedings on the criminal case of the citizens of the Russian Federation Artyom Breus and Ivan Gaponov. The last day.

14.03.2011 Analytical review of the court proceedings on the criminal case of the citizens of the Russian Federation Artyom Breus and Ivan Gaponov. The last day.

On 10 March the trial of the criminal case of the Russian citizens Artyom Breus and Ivan Gaponov, charged with participation in the ‘mass riot’ on 19 December 2010, continued at the Maskouski District Court of Minsk with participation of Judge Liubou Siamakhina, prosecutor Siarhei Kunas and lawyers Alena Kazak and Liudmila Siarheyeva.