The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for March 2013

20.03.2013 Salihorsk Belarusian-speaking activists fight for language rights

A number of residents of the town of Salihorsk have addressed local authorities with an appeal to secure the actual equality of the Belarusian language with the other state language, Russian, as required by Article 17 of the Constitution and the Law “On Languages in the Republic of Belarus”.

20.03.2013 Reporters Without Borders: Poczobut can still be arrested

Reporters Without Borders welcomes last week’s decision to drop the charge of defaming Lukashenko that was brought in June 2012 against Andrzej Poczobut.

20.03.2013 Sweden to investigate teddy bear airdrop incident

The Swedish Prosecutor General's Office has announced it today.

19.03.2013 “European Perspective” NGO denied registration again

The Chief Department of Justice of Minsk city executive committee denied state of registration to the organizing committee of the public association “European Perspective”, referring to the applicant’s failure to specify the owner of the premises granted for legal address in the NGO’s letter of guarantee, www.belaruspartisan.org reports.

19.03.2013 Foreign ministry expresses hope that report by MEP Paleckis will help Belarus-EU dialogue

Minsk, 19 March. The Belarusian foreign ministry hopes that the report to be drawn up following the Minsk visit of a delegation of the European Parliament will help Belarus and the European Union step up their dialogue, the ministry's spokesman, Andrey Savinykh, told BelaPAN.

19.03.2013 Detentions for swearing reduced in 2013

Those who are "the most cynical" usually get objected to administrative responsibility.

19.03.2013 Krychau independent newspaper accused of libel

The Cherykau-based mobile mechanized column № 280 accuses the Krychau independent newspaper “Volny Horad” ("Free Town") of defamation. The facts stated in the complaint by the enterprise’s accountant are being checked by Krychau police. The allegations were also sent to Cherykau district prosecutor’s office.

19.03.2013 Maryna Adamovich: Paleckis should demand meeting with political prisoners

Maryna Adamovich, the wife of political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, believes Justas Paleckis, European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Belarus, should meet with Belarusian prisoners of conscience, the Charter-97 website reports.

19.03.2013 European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Belarus Justas Paleckis arrives in Minsk

Justas Paleckis, 71, European Parliament’s Rapporteur on Belarus, arrived in Minsk on a working visit to end on March 21. The purpose of the visit is the preparation of the report on the state of relations between the EU and Belarus, the BelaPAN news agency reports.

19.03.2013 Anti-nuke activist Novikava wins appeal against Lithuania entry ban

Minsk, 19 March. A circuit civil court in Vilnius upheld on Monday Belarusian environmental activist Tatsyana Novikava`s appeal against the Lithuanian foreign ministry`s decision to ban her from entering the country.

19.03.2013 Slonim hospital staff forcefully subscribed to official press

The staff at the Slonim district hospital are made to subscribe to an official newspaper.

19.03.2013 Mahiliou authorities ban Freedom Day festivities

Mrs. Ala Halushka, head of the ideology department of Mahiliou city executive committee, told local pro-democratic activists about the reasons to ban public celebrations on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the Belarusian National Republic. It turns out that such activities should be included in the annual plan. If there is no such event in the plan, the authorities cannot help.

19.03.2013 Salihorsk detention center closed for repairs

As reported by local human rights defenders, the Salihorsk-based temporary detention center is undergoing repair and maintenance work.

19.03.2013 “Wave of Solidarity” covers Brest

Members of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Ulad Barouski, Yahen Khaziakhmetau and Andrus Sharenda held yesterday a street action in Brest within the “Wave of Solidarity” campaign. The young people were handing out leaflets about Belarusian political prisoners. They were also expected to put up white-red-white flags in central Brest, but were detained by plainclothes policemen.

19.03.2013 Police question activists of Tell the Truth campaign

Valiantsin Lazarenkau and Aliaksandr Kuzmin, activists of the Tell the Truth civil campaign, were questioned yesterday as witnesses by Biaroza district police deputy chief Senior Lieutenant Mikalai Prakurat.