The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for May 2013

29.05.2013 Ban on bike ride under white-red-white flags appealed to UN Human Rights Committee

Andrei Tychyna, activist of the Young Front’s Salihorsk office, submitted a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee against a ban on the bike ride in support of the Belarusian national symbols back in May 2012.

28.05.2013 UN Human Rights Council hosts news conference on situation in Belarus

A news conference on the human rights situation in Belarus was held in Geneva on Monday within the framework of a session of the UN Human Rights Council.

28.05.2013 Constitutional Court finds no misfits of Constitution and laws in 5 years

The court hasn't checked a single decree or ordinance for conformity with the Constitution since 1996.

28.05.2013 Bialiatski’s letters

Ales Bialiatski, the most famous Belarusian human rights activist, has been in prison for almost two years since August 4th, 2011. This article was firstly published in Belarusian on September 25th, 2012, Bialiatski’s 50th birthday. Unfortunately, now the article is still up-to-date. That’s why today we publish extracts from his letters to family and friends in English.

28.05.2013 Salihorsk human rights defender challenges foreign travel ban for non-payment of utility bills

Salihorsk human rights defender Leanid Markhotka addressed the District Prosecutor with a complaint against the town’s public utility centre. The officials are reportedly going to enforce foreign travel restrictions for persons who have not paid their utility bills for more than one month. The blacklists are said to be sent together with the bills.

28.05.2013 Lukashenka decorates judge involved in harassment of Viasna

The Belarusian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenka awarded the Medal of Honor to Ms. Valiantsina Kulik, Judge of the Supreme Court of Belarus, who considered the case on the dissolution of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” back in 2003, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarus service reports.

28.05.2013 Andrej Hajdukou transferred to Viciebsk

Accused of a state treason Andrej Hajdukou will be put on trial in Viciebsk regional court. His mother Volha Hajdukova informed the charter97.org web-site about that.

27.05.2013 Ales Bialiatski reelected FIDH Vice President

Ales Bialiatski, imprisoned leader of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, has been reelected Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights. The vote was held today as part of the 38th FIDH Congress hosted by Istanbul.

27.05.2013 UN Human Rights Committee recognizes violation of Navapolatsk activists’ rights

The UN Human Rights Committee recognized a violation of the rights of civil society activist from the town of Navapolatsk, Anton Yasinovich and Valery Shauchenka.

27.05.2013 Russian human rights defenders evicted from office in Voronezh

Russian human rights defenders urge their colleagues worldwide to show solidarity by sending letters to officials and signing a petition in support of the organizations and their offices.

27.05.2013 Belarusian human rights defenders to speak in UN

Their briefing precedes start of the UN Human Rights Council ordinary session.

27.05.2013 Editor and publisher of Krychau independent weekly summoned to court

Siarhei Niarouny, editor of the independent weekly “Vonly Horad” (“Free Town”), together with the newspaper’s publisher Uladzimir Kudrautsau, have been summoned to Krychau District Court as defendants in the suit for protection of goodwill lodged by the Cherykau-based PMK (Mobile Mechanical Division) No. 280.

27.05.2013 No news from Vaskovich for two months

Relatives have not been receiving letters from political prisoner Yauheny Vaskovich for two months.

27.05.2013 Radio Racyja Hrodna journalist receives fifth denial of accreditation

Viktar Parfionenka, journalist of the Poland-based Radio Racyja, received another denial of accreditation from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a fifth ban over the past five years.

24.05.2013 Davyd-Haradok police raid Roma community

The raid is described by the local pro-government weekly. The newspaper “Naviny Palessia” (“News of Palesse”) posted an article entitled “Gypsies are not asleep - and you do not sleep!”, in which it emphasized that “persons of the Roma ethnic group are rightly considered as unreliable people: to become rich at the expense of others is a “good” tradition for some of them.