The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 1 Nov 2013

01.11.2013 Printing house “Karandash” refuses to print map of the Uskhodniya cemetery, alleging that Radio “Liberty” is extremist

On the eve of the Ancestor's Commemoration Day, Radio “Liberty” prepared a map of the Uskhodniya cemetery, “Belarusian Necropolis”, indicating 50 graves of prominent Belarusians who dedicated their lives to the Belarusian culture, language and statehood. However, the printing house “Karandash” in Minsk considered its anti-state propaganda and refused to accept the order for its printing.

01.11.2013 BCD activist achieves the removal of the Russian flag from the bus cab

An activist of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Ales Kutasau, who asked the driver of the bus “Kalodzishchy-Minsk” to remove the flag of the Russian Federation from the front window,” was detained in Minsk.

01.11.2013 Mahiliou human rights defenders continue appealing against the prohibition of the picket in support of Ales Bialiatski

The appropriate appeal against the verdict of the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou, the ruling of the Mahiliou Regional Executive Committee "On Mass Events in Mahiliou" and the letter of the main bureau on the ideology, culture and youth affairs of the Mahiliou Regional Executive Committee, which rejected the appeal against the picket ban, was filed to the judicial board on civil cases of the Mahiliou Regional Court.

01.11.2013 Problems of the disabled are discussed in Brest

The event was a part of the information campaign "Availability", arranged by the educational human rights institution "Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities".

01.11.2013 Association of Ukrainians «Kabzar» is trying to get premises for legal address through court

On 1 November the head of the Association of the Baranavichy Ukrainians "Kabzar" Mikalai filed a complaint with the Brest Regional Court against the ruling of Judge Mikalai Selmanovich for 24 October 2013.

01.11.2013 Belarus must guarantee the right to elect and to be elected, United Nations expert tells the General Assembly

NEW YORK (31 October 2013) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklos Haraszti, says that Belarus has to guarantee a series of human rights in order to give effect to the right to elect and to be elected. During the presentation of his first report* to the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York, Mr. Haraszti recalled that Belarus is the only country in Europe with no opposition in parliament.