28.07.2014 Prison officers think Statkevich “capable of taking hostages”

The wife of the political prisoner received a letter from the Mahilou prison.

Mikalai Statkevich writes how prison officers treat him, the politician's website informs.

28.07.2014 Activist Mikita Brouka detained by men in civilian clothes

The reasons for the detention are unknown.

28.07.2014 Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office says candidate’s detention legal

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, received on July 26 from the Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office a reply to his complaint against the officers of Khotsimsk police department and the Prosecutor of Khotsimsk district.

28.07.2014 Activist in Minsk to stand trial for displaying white-red-white flag

Ales Makayeu, an activist of the entrepreneurs’ movement, was detained by police on July 27 in Minsk.

28.07.2014 Homel police threaten Young Front co-chair Andrei Tsianiuta

On July 27, Andrei Tsianiuta, co-chair of the Young Front opposition movement, received a phone call from an unknown person who introduced himself as a police inspector and ordered to urgently come to the police department. However, the police officer refused to specify the reasons for the summons. He only said that they received “some papers from the court”. When the activist refused to come to the department without a writ, the caller threatened him with detention, saying that “now a patrol will come and take you to the department”.

28.07.2014 Biaroza executive committee bans another picket

Biaroza human rights defenders Siarhei Rusetski, Tamara Shchepetkin and local civil society activist Tatsiana Tarasevich have been prohibited to stage a picket scheduled for July 27. The aim of the rally was to mark the 24th anniversary of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus, earlier celebrated as Independence Day. The activists also planned to remind local residents of the deployment of Russian military bases on the territory of Belarus and the existence of political prisoners in the country.

25.07.2014 UCP Brest activists file complaint to Supreme Court

The Brest Regional Court upheld a decision of imposing fines on members of the United Civil Party during the election campaign to the local councils. Later, the Chairman of the Court dismissed a supervisory appeal.

25.07.2014 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Minsk selectively invites rapporteurs

On Thursday it was announced that Belarus has sent an invitation to the UN Human Rights Council Rapporteurs. Human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich said that this is not the first time that our government invites UN experts, but the approach to the process is very selective.

24.07.2014 Human rights defenders in favor of equality and prevention of discrimination

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Network for Equality and Non-Discrimination in Belarus arranged on July 22 an international round table discussion entitled “Concepts of anti-discrimination legislation in Belarus”. More than 20 human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists participated in the roundtable, novychas.info reports.

24.07.2014 Hrodna Regional Court turns down appeal by freelance journalist

The Hrodna Regional Court considered today an appeal by Radio Racyja journalist Andrei Mialeshka against a ruling by the Kastrychnitski District Court, who found him guilty of producing information for foreign media without accreditation.

24.07.2014 Police violently throw people in LTPs: Evidence by Minsk resident

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” received a complaint from a resident of Minsk who told about the artful ways in which police officers seem to be following a plan for filling the activity labor centers of Belarus (so called LTPs).

24.07.2014 Social Democrat in Mahiliou faces administrative charges

On July 23, Ihar Barysau, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party’s Mahiliou office, was summoned to the police department of the Mahiliou district where Major Siarhei Haliantau officially charged him with an administrative offense.

23.07.2014 Ales Bialiatski’s The Quicksilver of Life presented in Minsk

The Quicksilver of Life is the first book by Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and vice-president of FIDH Ales Bialiatski, which was presented in Minsk on July 22 with the participation of the author.

23.07.2014 Belarusian society must be prepared for lustration in advance

Another round table discussion entitled “The relevance of lustration in the contemporary post-Soviet space” was held last week by the public initiative “Lustration for Belarus”. The range of issues for discussion was rather broad and included studying the Ukrainian experience (from the Maidan protests to the present), as well as examples of lustration in other post-Soviet countries, and possible options for the development of the Concept of Lustration in Belarus.

23.07.2014 Constitutional Court to study gaps in language legislation

The Constitutional Court will address the flaws of the country’s language legislation, says human rights defender Aliaksei Valabuyeu, citing a reply to his petition.