The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2014

31.07.2014 Statement by the HRC “Viasna” on the detention and charging of famous Azerbaijani human rights defender Leyla Yunus

On July 30, 2014, Leyla Yunus, a known human rights activist and director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif Yunus were detained in Baku (Azerbaijan). The couple were detained as they were leaving the country in order to take part in an event organized by the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety.

31.07.2014 Social Democrat detained in Mahiliou

Ales Serdziukou, activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), was detained yesterday while campaigning for so called People’s Referendum initiative.

31.07.2014 Expert analysis of legal amendments governing detention in activity therapy centers (LTPs)

Having analyzed legal amendments governing detention in activity therapy centers (so called LTPs), Pavel Sapelka, an expert in the prison system law, states that LTPs still perform punitive functions, and the expected increase in the number of these institutions will certainly entail a boost in the number of persons held in them.

31.07.2014 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Court should have initiated proceedings and clearly stated if my rights were violated

Chairman of the Minsk City Court P. Karshunovich sees no grounds to protest and grant an appeal by deputy chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich, who believes that the Prosecutor General’s Office by its decision to blacklist the website spring96.org as an Internet resource with restricted access violated his rights, as author and the reader of the site, to receive and impart information, as well as to freedom of expression.

30.07.2014 Ales Bialatski: We must not allow situation Belarus to get “Azerbaijanized”

The process of relations improvement of Minsk and Brussels may go on without structural reforms in Belarus.

30.07.2014 Azerbaijan's Leyla Yunus, human rights defender, held

Azerbaijan's most prominent human rights campaigner has been detained with her husband while trying to leave the country.

30.07.2014 Human rights defenders sue Homel authorities

Human rights defenders Leanid Sudalenka and Anatol Paplauny have lodged a lawsuit with the Homel Tsentralny District Court against the City Executive Committee, who banned a picket in support of political prisoners scheduled for August 4.

30.07.2014 Ex-candidate in Khotsimsk appeals illegal detention to Prosecutor General

Valery Karankevich, former candidate for the Mahiliou Regional Council of Deputies in Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 and a candidate for the District Council of Khotsimsk in constituency No. 13, filed on July 28 a complaint with the Prosecutor General of the Republic Belarus.

30.07.2014 Ilya Dabratvor arrested for 14 days for white-red-white flag

The activist was detained in the court of Kasrychnitski (October) district today.

29.07.2014 Mikalai Autukhovich’s “main things”

During his stay in hospital in Minsk, former political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich in an interview to the Human Rights Center “Viasna” told about his attitude to life and health, which were often at risk during his detention.

29.07.2014 Vasil Parfiankou’s father: Solitary confinement and no letters allowed

“He sent a letter a week ago. He says that our last letter was received back on April 30. So our letters are not delivered to him. Then we sent him newspapers by a registered letter on May 5. He said that he did not receive the registered letter, either. So it goes. He’s in solitary confinement and he sees no one. The watchmen take him to the prison yard to walk for 30 minutes, that’s all his contacts with the world. You can go crazy! Let it be on their conscience,” says Vasil Parfiankou’s father in an interview to Radio Liberty’s Belarus service.

29.07.2014 Mahiliou Prosecutor orders fresh probe into torture report

Having considered an appeal by the wife of Piotr Kuchura, prisoner of penal colony No. 15, against a refusal to initiate criminal proceedings against the prison administration, Mahiliou City Prosecutor Mikalai Vulvach quashed the decision by the Mahiliou interdistrict department of the Investigative Committee.

29.07.2014 Activist gets 15 days in prison for displaying national flag

The trial of Ales Makayeu was held yesterday at the Court of Minsk’s Maskouski district. He was charged with disobeying police officers (Article 23.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and disorderly conduct (Art. 17.1 of the CAO).

28.07.2014 Police in Aktsiabrski ask people to be alert to Roma

The newspaper “Chyrvony Kastrychnik” in Aktsiabrski district, Homel region, has published an article where local police urge citizens to be vigilant against the Romani people, warning them that they often target elderly people as victims of their crimes.

28.07.2014 Books seized at border

Belarusian border guards have detained participants of a camp entitled “For European Integration of Belarus”. The incident is said to be linked to the Belarusian editions they were carrying. Several people were coming back from Poland and their luggage was searched by a border official, Radio Racyja reports.