The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for March 2014

31.03.2014 Court of cassation confirms ban on Ales Bialiatski’s book

On March 31, the Hrodna Regional Court upheld the decision to ban Ales Bialiatski’s book “Asvechanyia Belarushchynai” (“Enlightened by Belarusian Issue”), having considered a cassation appeal by human rights defender Tatsiana Reviaka.

31.03.2014 Pavel Vinahradau goes on hunger strike in detention centre

Activist Pavel Vinahradau has been on hunger strike for the 18th day. He was sentenced to 25 days in a detention centre.

31.03.2014 Unidentified people attack activists in Kurapaty

The incident took place in the evening on 29 March.

31.03.2014 Human rights defenders fighting for reprieve of death verdicts

A number of Brest human rights defenders sent to the Council of Ministers a proposal to amend the Criminal Code in order to allow a five-year stay of executions, says one of the campaigners, human rights lawyer Raman Kisliak.

31.03.2014 Teacher in Beshankovichy faces fine for spreading unregistered newspaper

Heorhi Stankevich, a teacher of the town of Beshankovichy, Vitsebsk region, has been for several years publishing the newspaper “Kryvinka”. He publishes it regularly and at his own expense, depending on the material possibilities of the founder and editor. However, he has regularly faced claims – and most often they are associated with election campaigns.

31.03.2014 Aliaksandr Shchamliou: not a deputy anymore

Aliaksandr Shchamliou, a member of the Movement “For Freedom” in the Vitsebsk region, says he won the majority of votes in the elections to the Dabeya Village Council. This was written in the final minutes of vote count on 23 March. But five days later he saw another protocol, according to which he lost to his rival, head teacher of a school in the village of Ambrosavichy.

28.03.2014 Mikalai Autukhovich loses complaint against prison penalties

On the morning of March 28, Judge Zhanna Krauchanka of Hrodna’s Leninski District Court dismissed a complaint by political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich, Radio Free Europe’s Belarus service reports.

28.03.2014 Two elderly opposition activists in Vitsebsk humiliated by police during arrest

The Vitsebsk-based enterprise “Vitsebskenerha” has initiated administrative proceedings against the legendary Miron, who is famous for hanging out white-red-white flags on electric power lines across the city. It happened after the detention of two local opposition activists, Barys Khamaida and Aliaksandr Salauyan, over the possession of a national flag on March 24.

28.03.2014 CEC: visual count of voters has no legal value

Observer Siarhei Housha sent an appeal to the CEC to report that there were irregularities in the counting of votes at polling station No. 43 in Baranavichy. Namely, the number of voters (by visual counting) did not match the number of ballots issued by the election commission.

28.03.2014 Belarusian anarchist detained in Russia, charged with terrorism

A resident of Homel, Dzmitry Rezanovich, was detained when crossing the border from Ukraine to Russia in the night of 13 March. Dzmitry Rezanovich is an activist in the anarchist movement in Belarus. He was an active participant in the Kyiv Maidan protests.

27.03.2014 Editor of Smarhon independent paper interviewed by police

On March 25, Smarhon police interviewed the editor of the small-circulation newspaper "Smarhonski Hrak” Ales Dzerhachou and the distributor of the periodical Uladzimir Shulzhytski, Press Service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

27.03.2014 Vitsebsk police search apartment of opposition activist

Vitsebsk opposition activist Barys Khamaida is now serving arrest for allegedly resisting the police. The reasons for the search are yet unknown, Radio Free Europe’s Belarus service reports.

27.03.2014 Stop discrimination!

The Belarusian Independent Trade Union has issued a statement in support of workers of the Babruisk-based plant of tractor parts and units who on March 25 announced a three-day warning hunger strike.

27.03.2014 Vitsebsk activists convicted in secret trial

Vitsebsk opposition activists Barys Khamaida and Yan Salauyan are expected to be released today after they were detained ahead of Freedom Day in the evening on March 24.

26.03.2014 Baranavichy observer asks CEC to address violations at polling station

Observer Siarhei Housha sent a complaint to the CEC Chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna to appeal against violations of the Electoral Code by members of the polling station election commission No. 43 in Baranavichy, which was chaired by Mikalai Zhukouski.