The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2014

28.02.2014 Hrodna Regional Election Commission rejects nine complaints

On February 28, a meeting of the Hrodna Regional Election Commission considered complaints by candidates that were earlier denied registration in different constituencies. Observer Viktar Sazonau, who attended the meeting, said that the Commission had considered nine complaints of eight different people.

28.02.2014 Employer: Dismissal of opposition candidate due to lack of competence

"Nothing personal, they ordered to fire you," Viktar Harbacheuski, a member of the BCD organizing committee, who is running as a candidate for the Kobryn City Council, heard these words from the director of a private company "Velpak-Kobryn", Andrei Beze.

28.02.2014 Possibilities of signing and ratification of UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities discussed at highest level

These issues were raised at the seminar "The system of social protection of disabled persons in the Republic of Belarus: State and prospects for development. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", organized by the Standing Committee of Education, Science, Culture and Social Development of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, the Standing Committee on Labor and Social Issues of the House of Representatives, as well as the United Nations Office in the Republic of Belarus.

28.02.2014 Brest police chief accused of discrediting Interior Ministry

Police Major General Ivan Sauchyts has been dismissed for discreditable conduct.

27.02.2014 Election commission in Mahiliou cancels registration of opposition candidate

At the meeting of February 26, the Mahiliou City Election Commission canceled the registration of a candidate from the Belarusian Left Party "Fair World", Anatol Zauyalau. He was nominated in constituency No. 18.

27.02.2014 Homel human rights activist fighting to save Roma family

Maryia Klimovich (Bahdanovich), an activist of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, received a response from the Department of Education, Sports and Tourism of the Homel Regional Executive Committee. The activist urged the head of the department, Iryna Bahdanets, to assist in reviewing the decision to terminate the parental rights of Liubou Makarava, a representative of the local Roma community.

27.02.2014 Belarusian journalist detained at border with Ukraine

Independent journalist Anatol Hatouchyc has been detained at Novaja Huta border crossing point.

27.02.2014 Political prisoner Andrei Haidukou meets parents in prison

The family of Andrei Haidukou, who is serving a sentence in Mahiliou penal colony No. 19, have had a long meeting with the prisoner. This was reported by his mother Volha Haidukova. "My husband and I are returning from Mahiliou. The meeting was O.K. Andrei feels well, his mood is good, too. We were there for three days: we arrived on Friday afternoon and now we are driving back," she said.

26.02.2014 KGB wrecked Dzieciuki band’s concert in Brest

The performance of the punk-rockers from Hrodna was banned in the city on Buh.

26.02.2014 Freedom Day picket banned in Hlybokaye

The reason for the ban is traditional: lack of service contracts with the medics, utilities and the police. Moreover, the district police directly said they refused to enter into preliminary agreements.

26.02.2014 Human rights defender Barys Zvozskau would have been 65 today

Barys Zvozskau was born on February 26, 1949 in the town of Belogorsk (Russia). He graduated from the Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute with a degree in engineering. Later, Barys Zvozskau graduated from the Higher International Human Rights Course.

26.02.2014 Ideology officials in Orsha ban radio performance by critical candidate

The recording was made on February 25 and was expected to be aired today. However, local ideology officials opposed it over a paragraph of the speech by candidate Mikalai Dziamidau.

26.02.2014 Valiantsin Stefanovich: "There is nothing new that can affect Belarusians in the new edition of Martial Law"

Not everyone agrees that the new edition of the bill "On Martial Law" is a bit radical, but the proposed changes are unlikely to relate to events in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by deputy head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich in a comment for the TUT.BY website.

26.02.2014 Vitsebsk Regional Court sides with election commission who deceived voters

Aliaksei Haurutsikau and Khrystafor Zhaliapau presented to the court a written explanation of citizens whose signatures for their nomination were invalidated. Some of them appeared in court to tell about how they had been deceived. But neither the prosecutor nor the Regional Court wanted to admit the decision to deny registration was illegal.

25.02.2014 Case files of Belarusian dissident Mikhail Kukabaka finally declassified

Seven and a half years of walking around the courts and numerous requests to various government agencies finally brought results, thanks to the tenacity of the famous Belarusian dissident, who has been repeatedly subjected to punitive psychiatry. This month Mikhail Kukabaka received a message stating that the materials of a number of forensic psychiatric examinations of 1970 and of subsequent years had been declassified.