The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for June 2013

26.06.2013 Vitsebsk court to hear appeals of 3 picket bans

Three applications for pickets – three bans. This is how one can briefly describe the history of the recent communication of Vitsebsk resident Viktar Zharkou with the district administrations. Now Viktar Zharkou has filed complaints with the courts of all the three districts of Vitsebsk against officials who deprived him of the opportunity to inform people about the violation of his rights by the police.

26.06.2013 Deputy Prosecutor General Stuk refuses to say whether charge of high treason against Haydukow has been or will be changed to another one

Deputy Prosecutor General Alyaksey Stuk refused to tell reporters in Minsk on Tuesday whether the charge of high treason against young opposition activist Andrey Haydukow had been or would be changed to another one.

26.06.2013 Private Newspaper Returns to State Distribution System after 8 Years Exclusion

Since June 1, 2013 the regional non-state newspaper Borisovskiye Novosti has been available for subscription in Belposhta in Minsk region.

25.06.2013 Eduard Lobau: Summer began, but prison diet lacks fruits and vegetables

Young Front activist Eduard Lobau who serves his sentence in a penal colony, was visited by his mother – Maryna Lobava.

25.06.2013 Two Belarusian MPs to discuss death penalty issue during meeting of PACE’s committee in Strasbourg

Two members of the House of Representatives will participate in a meeting of PACE’s Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy that will take place in Strasbourg on Thursday and deal with the issue of the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus, among others.

25.06.2013 Trade union activist faces groundless dismissal

Dzmitry Luchyts, nurse man and anesthesiologist at the intensive care unit of Brest Regional Hospital No. 1, a member of the trade union of radio-electronic industry (REP), has received a notice that his contract would not be extended. Meanwhile, he did not have any reprimands; on the contrary, during the four years he has proved to be a good specialist.

25.06.2013 Brest: Most deputies ignore appeals of their voters

Such a conclusion was made by local civil society activists, who tried to urge the members of the City Council of Brest to contribute to the rapid implementation of the agreement on the local border traffic between Poland and Belarus.

25.06.2013 Foreign Ministry says complaints considered by UN Human Rights Committee are groundless

Homel human rights defenders Leanid Sudalenka and Vasil Paliakou received a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to an appeal of a group of individuals, whose rights were said to be violated by the state, as recognized by the UN Human Rights Committee.

25.06.2013 Berlin activists campaign for release of Belarusian political prisoners, abolition of death penalty

Activists of Amnesty International’s Berlin office arranged the screening of the first full-length movie about the December 19, 2010 events entitled “A Belarusian Dream.”

24.06.2013 Lawtrend and Viasna launch campaign of judicial monitoring

A number of human rights defenders representing the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and the Center for Legal Transformation “Lawtrend” conducted on 20 June monitoring of 11 administrative trials in the courts of Minsk Kastrychnitski and Leninski districts.

24.06.2013 Metropolitan Filaret: “We, Christians, cannot justify the death penalty”

The Minsk-based House of Mercy hosted a round table discussion on the subject of “Religion and the Death Penalty,” organized by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Belarusian government. The round table was attended by representatives of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, legislative and judicial authorities of the Republic of Belarus, delegates of the Council of Europe, diplomats and human rights defenders.

24.06.2013 Belarus Press Photo 2011 Appeal Dismissed

The judicial panel of the Hrodna regional court heard Julia Darashkevich, one of the organizers of the contest, and the lawyers Aliaksandr Birylau and Larysa Atamanchuk. Hearing the appeal took only half an hour.

24.06.2013 “Spy” trial: Haidukou’s mother gives evidence

Volha Haidukova said she was a witness for the defence at the trial against her son who is charged with “treason”.

24.06.2013 EU suspends entry ban against Makey

The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union on Monday suspended the EU’s entry ban against Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey.

21.06.2013 PACE invites Belarusian MPs to discuss death penalty

The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is expected to discuss the situation in Belarus at a meeting scheduled for June 27, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarus service reports. Among others, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), rapporteur on the situation in Belarus, will address the meeting.