The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2013

28.02.2013 Stéphane Hessel – human rights champion dies at 95

Stephane Hessel, the best-selling French author, has died aged 95. The writer who had been a member of the French Resistance, escaping from two concentration camps, helped to draw up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and later worked as a diplomat.

28.02.2013 Slutsk football fans charged with illegal demonstrating

As the web-site of the regional newspaper “Infa-Kurier” (www.kurjer.info) reports, its readers witnessed on February 23 a police raid on a group of young men marching with a banner in the town center.

28.02.2013 Journalists shortly detained in Minsk

Journalists Vasil Siamashka, Hanna Afonina and Siarhei Satsiuk were detained by the police this afternoon in Minsk.

28.02.2013 Haidukou's friend questioned in KGB

Activist Yauheny Kanstantinau has been questioned by KGB officers as a witness in Andrei Haidukou's case.

28.02.2013 Bialynichy activist files complaints against local police

Valery Vusik, former deputy of Bialynichy district council, has filed complaints with local Prosecutor’s Office and chief of police department of Mahiliou regional executive committee against police officer Siarhei Karytkin, who earlier charged the activist for allegedly libeling head of “Lebiadzianka” farm Piotr Bialou, as well as for the distribution of the independent newspaper “Mahiliouski Vybar”.

28.02.2013 Yauhen Kanstantsinau summoned for questioning by KGB

Civil society activist Yauhen Kanstantsinau has been summoned for questioning by the KGB in Minsk as a witness in the case of Andrei Haidukou, Radio Racyja reports.

27.02.2013 Political prisoner Vaskovich marks birthday in prison

Political prisoner Yauheny Vaskovich marks his 23d birthday on February 26.

27.02.2013 Zhana Litvina: BelaPAN journalist’s rights violated

The situation is quite untypical. First the journalist was allowed to carry out his professional duties, but then a police brigade was called.

27.02.2013 “Life After Prison”: a new book by Aliaksandr Tamkovich presented in Minsk (photo)

The new book by journalist Aliaksandr Tamkovich “Life After Prison” was presented yesterday in Minsk. The edition is a compilation of 27 articles, telling the stories of the participants of the tragic events of December 19, 2010, who served short prison terms for participating in the so-called “riots”.

27.02.2013 Bialynichy pro-dem activist faces charges of illegal distribution of independent newspapers and alleged defamation

Bialynichy police lieutenant Siarhei Karytkin filed two police reports on alleged administrative offences committed by local civil society activist Valery Vusik. The first report deals with the alleged libel against the chairman of the “Lebiadzianka” state-owned farm Piotr Bialou, the other relates to distributing independent newspaper “Mahiliouski Vybar”, which allegedly constitutes a violation of Article 17 of the Media Law of the Republic of Belarus.

27.02.2013 UN Human Rights Committee registers complaint by Fair World Zhlobin members

The UN Human Rights Committee has registered one of the complaints submitted by the Zhlobin members of the Left Party “Fair World” to challenge a ban imposed on a number of pickets by the local district executive committee in 2012. This was announced by head of Fair World’s district office Valery Rybchanka.

27.02.2013 Salihorsk authorities ban picket to campaign for new clinic

Mikalai Maskevich, chief ideology official of Salihorsk district executive committee, issued a ban on a rally in support of the construction of a new municipal polyclinic, thus dismissing an application of February 8 submitted by local civil society activists.

27.02.2013 Human rights defender Raman Kisliak denied information on pardoned death convicts

The letter sent by the Department of Citizenship and Pardon of the Presidential Administration and signed by its acting head Maltsau says that such information is limited in distribution, so it cannot be provided.

26.02.2013 Salihorsk executive committee ignores calls for language equality

Uladzimir Masakouski, deputy chairman of Salihorsk city office of the organization “Belarusian Language Society”, is urging local authorities to secure the practical implementation of the equal status of the Belarusian and Russian languages enshrined in the country’s legislation. However, he keeps receiving bureaucratic runaround replies.