The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2012

25.12.2012 Warnings and Detentions of Journalists in 2012

BAJ summed up the information about detentions and warnings, issued by law enforcement agencies and special services to members of the organizations.

25.12.2012 Liquidated rights group regains legal status under new name

The members of a prisoners' rights group called Platforma that was closed down by a court earlier this year have founded an organization under a new name.

25.12.2012 Police in Smalyavichy detain group of journalists to prevent them from attending public meeting with member of local district council

A group of journalists were briefly detained by police in Smyalyavichy, Minsk region, on December 24 after they came to the city to attend a public meeting with Yahor Lebyadok, a member of the Smalyavichy District Soviet (Council).

24.12.2012 Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concerning Ales Bialiatski's case

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council reports on adopting on August 31, 2012 its Opinions concerning the case of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski, following a respond sent by the Belarusian Government to the Group's Urgent Appeal.

24.12.2012 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Dear Friends!

We wish you to see the year of 2013 as the time of hopes and expectations come true and all obstacles dispelled by a wind of change, and every step forward being fruitful and joyful! We sincerely thank you for your understanding and support in 2012, a very difficult period for us. Let's stay together in the New Year!

21.12.2012 Landmark UN decision: Ales Bialiatski’s detention arbitrary, release and compensation requested

Paris-Geneva, December 21, 2012. At its 64th session, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted decision A/HRC/WGAD/2012/39, published on November 23, in which it found that the detention of Mr. Ales Bialiatski, President of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Viasna” and FIDH Vice-President, was arbitrary, “being in contravention of article 20, paragraph 1, of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights [UDHR] and article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights” (ICCPR).

21.12.2012 Brest authorities ban pickets for small border traffic with Poland

Brest city executive committee has banned a number of pickets expected to demand quicker implementation of local border traffic with the neighboring Poland.

21.12.2012 Ales Bialiatski visited by wife in prison

On 20 December, Mrs. Natallia Pinchuk, the wife of political prisoner Ales Bialiatski, visited him at the Babruisk-based penal colony No. 2.

20.12.2012 Parliamentary group on death penalty resumes its work

The National Assembly's working group on the death penalty has resumed its work, BelaPAN said.

20.12.2012 Valiantsin Stefanovich: "We did not just beat off the attacks in 2012 – we tried to act efficiently"

Valiantsin Stefanovich, Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", shares his professional assessment of the year. Noting the problems of the entire civil society, the deterioration of the authorities’ contacts with international organizations in the field of human rights, Valiantsin Stefanovich stresses that the main task of human rights defenders for the next year is the same – the release of political prisoners.

20.12.2012 BCD Vitsebsk activists fined on hooliganism charges

Judge Valiantsina Kismiaroshkina of Vitsebsk Pershamaiski District Court sentenced today local activists of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Aliaksei Kishchuk and Stanislau Laurenau to a fine of 300,000 rubles each. The activists were convicted on the basis of testimony by four police officers, who testified that the guys used obscene language against them.

20.12.2012 Hrodna Regional Court: A Corporate Wall

On December 20, Hrodna Regional Court heard the complaints by three Svislach civil society activists – Viktar Dziasiatsik, Yury Hlebik and Anatol Valiuk – who contested an earlier decision by Svislach District Court.

20.12.2012 Photographer detained at UCP’s action in Minsk

Photographer Henadz Veratsinski was detained by the police yesterday during an information action held by the activists of the United Civil Party in Minsk, the BelaPAN news agency reports.