The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for June 2014

22.06.2014 Soviet dissident Mikhail Kukabaka: Ales Bialiatski’s release manifestation of political expediency

Belarusian dissident and political prisoner of the Soviet times, Mikhail Kukabaka, having learned of the release of Ales Bialiatski from a report on the radio station “Echo of Moscow”, has written about it in a letter to the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.

22.06.2014 FIDH: Ales Bialiatski Free at Last!

Ales Bialiatski, distinguished human rights defender, president of Viasna Human Rights Centre of Belarus and Vice President of FIDH was released this Saturday, 21 June after nearly three years in prison.

21.06.2014 PACE welcomes the release of Ales Bialiatski

“For many years Ales Bialiatski has been a committed partner of the Assembly, who shared with our members his expertise and restlessly fought for human rights in Belarus. His imprisonment in 2011 came as a shock, and we have never missed an occasion to demand his unconditional release,” said Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

20.06.2014 Abolition of the death penalty. How can journalists help?

Palina Stsepanenka, a writer and an activist of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty”, tells about the issue of the death penalty and the “place for the press” in an interview for Radio Racyja.

20.06.2014 Political prisoner Vaskovich put in punishment cell

Wardens try to present Vaskovich as a “malicious violator”.

20.06.2014 Belsat facing another trial

Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court wants a reversal of a decision in a lawsuit against the Belsat TV Channel and a new consideration of the case file, press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

20.06.2014 Homel journalists sue Prosecutor’s Office over warnings

Two journalists in Homel are suing local Prosecutor’s Office. In early May, Mikalai Bianko and Yuliya Sivets were warned by the Homel Regional Prosecutor’s Office for working for foreign media without accreditation, Radio Racyja reports.

20.06.2014 Human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka: I’ll find online detractors

On June 19, Judge Anatol Sotnikau of Homel’s Chyhunachny District Court granted an appeal lodged by local human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka against an earlier decision by the District Police Department who closed a defamation case initiated by the human rights activist after unknown persons insulted and slandered against him and other activists of the Homel region on the website gomelbest.com.

19.06.2014 Khotsimsk Prosecutor’s Office again justifies detention of candidate

Valery Karankevich, a civil society activist from the town of Khotsimsk, received yesterday a response to his complaint from the Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

19.06.2014 Another complaint submitted to UN Human Rights Committee

Uladzimir Shyla, an opposition activist from the town of Salihorsk, has submitted a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee to appeal against a ban on a Human Rights Day imposed by the executive officials back in December 2013.

18.06.2014 UN Special Rapporteur cannot get access to Belarus

UN Special Rapporteur Miklós Haraszti accuses the Belarusian authorities of human rights violations and lack of cooperation with the international organisation.

18.06.2014 Stefanovich: New UN Human Rights commissioner will deal with Belarus

UN priorities towards Belarus will not change.

18.06.2014 UN Human Rights Committee to consider complaint by Hrodna defender Viktar Sazonau

The UN Human Rights Committee admitted to consideration a complaint by Viktar Sazonau, a human rights defender from Hrodna, Radio Racyja reports.

18.06.2014 Valiantsin Stefanovich: “In 1996, when a referendum was held, there was no life imprisonment in Belarus”

Why does Belarus retain such a means of punishment as the death penalty? Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich believes that the cause must be sought in the Soviet past. In the USSR, the death penalty was used for a wide range of crimes.

18.06.2014 The Last Dawn: Belarusian musicians against the death penalty (video)

The Minsk-based Graffiti club hosted yesterday the presentation of the project of Belarusian musicians called Aposhni Zolak (“The Last Dawn”). In this way, a number of famous musicians, among them Hanna Khitryk, Aliaksandr Pamidorau, Zmitser Vaitsiushkevich, Anastasia Shpakouskaya, Viktar Rudenka, Liavon Volski, spoke against the death penalty. Last year they had a big concert in Bialystok, and Belarusian fans were able to watch it online.