The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2014

25.02.2014 20 constituencies uncontested in Hrodna

An officially published list of registered candidates for the Hrodna City Council says only 41 candidates were registered by the City Election Commission in a total of 30 electoral districts of the city. 20 constituencies will be uncontested, voting in these districts loses all meaning.

25.02.2014 Babruisk: Registration denied to Tell the Truth members only?

Official sources are in no hurry to inform the residents of Babruisk on the election campaign. From the outset, information is issues in small portions, and despite the fact that the registration of candidates for deputies to the City Council finished on February 21, their names yet remain a mystery.

25.02.2014 Prosecutor's Office forwards complaint in national flag case to court

Viktar Sharshun complained about the actions of the police, but the prosecutors forwarded his complaint to the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk. This is reported in a response received by Mr. Sharshun from the District Deputy Prosecutor M. Khortau.

25.02.2014 Salihorsk activist appeals ban on Human Rights Day picket

Uladzimir Shyla, a civil society activist of the town of Salihorsk, is appealing against a ban imposed by the district executive committee on a picket expected to be staged on Human Rights Day, December 10. A complaint was sent to the Minsk Regional Court.

25.02.2014 Opposition activists sentenced to 10 days of arrest

On February 22, two youth opposition activists, Mikalai Dzemidzenka and Zmitser Kremianetski, were detained at the Ukrainian border and denied entry to Ukraine for 5 years. After that, there appeared Belarusian police, who detained the guys for allegedly using foul language.

25.02.2014 Bialynichy police threat with responsibility for riots during elections

The website of the Bialynichy District Executive Committee posted a document in the category “Elections 2014” signed by the police department chief Colonel Yury Simanau.

25.02.2014 Member of independent trade union loses job in Babruisk

Aliaksandr Mikitka, member of the Free Trade Union’s office at the Babruisk-based Plant of Tractor Parts and Assemblies, was notified that his labor contract had expired and the management no longer wished to see him in the enterprise. Earlier this month, the activist won a lawsuit against his employer over a failure to pay bonuses.

25.02.2014 Belarusian opposition activist Maksim Viniarski detained in Moscow

Belarusian opposition activist Maksim Viniarski was detained during mass arrests in Moscow, where a trial of the “Bolotnaya case” protesters was continued yesterday (mass protests in Moscow in May 2012). As he said on Facebook, he was “detained near the court building”.

24.02.2014 “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”: Privacy of procedures causes distrust of CEC decisions on registration of candidates

Human rights defenders say there are no major developments in the election process due to recent changes in the electoral law, as the campaign reached its halfway point. The selective approach by election officials, criticized by human rights defenders during the formation of election commissions, still prevails at the next stage, the nomination and registration of candidates.

24.02.2014 Report on the results of registration of campaign teams and candidates for deputies

Monitoring of the elections to the Local Councils of Deputies of the Republic of Belarus of the 27th Convocation is conducted by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" within the frames of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

24.02.2014 Homel activist may face prison term for solidarity with Ukraine

The police threaten a Young Front activist with a criminal case for an action of solidarity with Ukrainian pro-EU protesters.

24.02.2014 Observatory condemns continued harassment of Viasna

The Observatory has been informed of the continued harassment of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” and the rejection by the Court of a complaint challenging the blackmailing of its website www.spring96.org.

24.02.2014 Miory police detain Belsat journalists and BCD activists

Two correspondents of the Belsat TV channel were detained in Miory, Vitsebsk region, on February 20, according to the press service of the organizing committee of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy" (BCD). The journalists’ names are not called.

24.02.2014 Sculptor to sue Belinvestbank over Belarusian

Back in 2012, sculptor and teacher Henadz Loika wrote a letter to Belinvestbank asking to open a card account in his native Belarusian language, as he said he did not speak the other official language, Russian. However, his request was rejected.

21.02.2014 Results of registration of candidates in regions

A meeting was held yesterday in Homel to approve the registration of candidates for the Homel City Council of Deputies. According to observer Anatol Paplauny, 108 candidates were registered, 16 nominations were rejected, including those of pro-democratic candidates (5 UCP candidates, one – “Fair World”) and civil society activists Kastus Zhukouski (coalition “Our Alternative”) and Halina Krauchanka (initiative “Homel Democratic Forum”).