The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 19 May 2014

19.05.2014 While the World Ice Hockey Championship takes place, violations continue… Video n°2

Belarus is hosting the World Ice Hockey Championship, which started last Friday and will end on 25 May. FIDH has made 3 short animated films to denounce the human rights violations taking place in Belarus. These abuses cannot be camouflaged by the Championship.

19.05.2014 Civil Rights Defenders on their way to Minsk in support of Ales Bialiatski

Almost four years has elapsed since Robert Hårdh, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders was last in Belarus. In 2010 to monitor the Belarusian election together with Ales Bialiatski – 2014 to highlight the fact that Ales has been behind bars since 4 August 2011 on trumped up charges.

19.05.2014 Homel activist appeals picket ban to UN Human Rights Committee

Yury Varonezhtsau, a known public and political figure in Homel, submitted today a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee to appeal against a ban on a street procession in support of political prisoner Ales Bialiatski.

19.05.2014 Food Not Bombs activist sentenced to 15 days of arrest

The court of Minsk’s Partyzanski district considered today the administrative case of Aliaksandr Kurets, an activist of the Food Not Bombs campaign.

19.05.2014 Journalist stands trial in Brest

Yauhen Skrabets was detained on May 17 near the house where he lives. He told about this in a text message, saying that he was held in the Leninski district police department of Brest.

19.05.2014 Klimavichy resident fined over criticism of administrative commission

The administrative commission of the Klimavichy District Executive Committee punished Alena Marchanka, a resident of the village of Damamerychy, by a fine of 2,250,000 rubles. The decision was taken at a meeting held on May 13.

19.05.2014 Dzianis Karnou: There are opposition activists, tramps and prostitutes in Akrestsin Street detention center

In the evening of May 16, Dzianis Karnou, an activist of the Young Front’s Salihorsk branch, was released from the Center of Isolation of Offenders located in Akrestsin Street in Minsk, after serving 20 days of arrest. After his release, he described the circumstances of his detention, the trial and conditions in prison.

19.05.2014 EU condemns arbitrary detentions of more than 30 civil society and political activists in Belarus

We are concerned about the harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention of several dozens of representatives of civil society and opposition organisations in the run up to the World Ice Hockey Championship in Belarus. We condemn the use of administrative detention by the Belarusian authorities as an instrument aimed at creating pressure, fear and uncertainty among the young generation of people in Belarus.