The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for November 2014

30.11.2014 Independent journalist Tamara Shchapiotkina faces administrative charges

The administrative offense report written by the deputy chief of department of protection of public order of the Biaroza district police department Mikalai Prakurat says that Tamara Shchapiotkina violated Art. 22.9 of the Administrative Code.

30.11.2014 CCP BPF deputy chair fined over memorial rally

On November 28, the Leninski District Court of Minsk considered the administrative case of the deputy chairman of the Conservative Christian Party BPF Yury Belenki and sentenced him to a fine of 4.5 million rubles for involvement in a procession to the place of execution of the victims of the Bolshevik terror that took place on November 9.

30.11.2014 Expulsion of Alena Tankachova delayed for one month

The Pershamaiski District Police Department of Minsk has extended by one month the residence registration for human rights defender Alena Tankachova, leader of the Center for Legal Transformation “Lawtrend”, according to Radio Liberty’s Belarus service.

28.11.2014 Free Speech Photo Ends with Fines for an Unsanctioned Action

Today three participants of the photo session in Vitebsk were fined for holding an unauthorized mass event.

28.11.2014 Ales Bialiatski: Our strength is in fearlessness and solidarity

Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), is taking part in the 2nd World Human Rights Forum, which opened in Marrakesh (Morocco) on November 27.

28.11.2014 Army’s no bowl of cherries?

Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich has commented on certain provisions of the draft law on alternative service, which was adopted in first reading by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly on November 10.

27.11.2014 Political prisoner Lobau not released but already supervised

Eduard Lobau, who should have been released on December 18 after 4 year imprisonment, is preventively supervised.

27.11.2014 Join “Cities for Life - Cities Against the Death Penalty” campaign on November 30 (VIDEO)

The campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus” urges everyone to join the initiative “Cities for Life - Cities Against the Death Penalty”, which will take place on November 30.

27.11.2014 Trial of disabled activist in Svetlahorsk adjourned over flawed police report

On November 27, the Svetlahorsk City Court was expected to hear the administrative charges brought against Yury Liashenka, an activist for the right of persons with disabilities. He was charged under Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code – violation of the order of holding mass events. However, the trial did not take place after a police lieutenant colonel told the activist that the case file needed to be corrected.

27.11.2014 Court refuses to disclose burial place to death convict’s mother

The Homel Regional Court, who earlier sentenced local resident Aliaksandr Hrunou to death, refused to disclose the death convict’s place of burial to his mother. Volha Hrunova has received a written ban signed by the Chairman of the Court Siarhei Shautsou. Now she is going to seek changes in the Belarusian legislation, which imposes a taboo on information about the burial site of executed prisoners, gomelspring.org reports.

27.11.2014 Freelance journalist summoned to police in Biaroza

On October 26, Tamara Shchapiotkina, a human rights defender and freelance journalist in Biaroza, Brest region, received a phone call from deputy head for public order of the police department Mikalai Prakurat.

27.11.2014 Ales Bialiatski: “I took the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee as a personal satisfaction” (full text of the document)

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” publishes the official text of a decision taken by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in the case of its leader and vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights, Ales Bialiatski.

27.11.2014 Welcome to new Human Rights House in Chernihiv

Another Human Rights House has been opened in Chernihiv, Ukraine, to become a focal point for human rights defenders from different regions of the country. Among its founders are public organizations from Uzhhorod, Crimea, Luhansk and Chernihiv.

26.11.2014 Kazakh scientists present project in Minsk on victims of Great Purge

The Minsk-based National Library of Belarus hosted on 25 November a presentation of the research project entitled “Karlag: Remembrance for the Sake of Future”, BelaPAN news agency reports.

26.11.2014 CoE Commissioner for Human Rights: “Azerbaijan will go down in history as the country that carried out an unprecedented crackdown on human rights defenders during its chairmanship”

Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has written on Facebook about “one of the most difficult missions” of his “two-and-a-half year tenure as Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights” — a visit he paid to Azerbaijan to see the imprisoned human rights defenders.