The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 26 Nov 2014

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.

26.11.2014 Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum: Challenges and Prospects

The sixth meeting of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership, which was held in Batumi, adopted a strategy of the forum’s development for 2015-2017.

26.11.2014 Court in Hrodna fines activists over memorial picket

On November 25, a court in Hrodna heard the administrative cases of four people who attended the traditional action in memory of the 1863 anti-Russian uprising in the town of Svislach on October 26. Judge Alena Piatrova fined journalist and human rights activist Uladzimir Khilmanovich and United Civil Party activist Jerzy Grygencha 5.25 million rubles each, and Radio Liberty journalist Mikhail Karnevich and UCP activist Vital Lopasau 2.25 mln each on charges of participating in an unsanctioned event.

26.11.2014 Open Letter of BAJ and EFJ against Prosecution of Our Colleagues in Vitebsk

Before November 5, the day of the international campaign Stand Up For Journalism, a team of BAJ members from Vitebsk took a photo at the background of a famous graffiti in Vitebsk – the image of paper-cut birds flying out of cage. This was a symbolic action to join the international campaign of the EFJ and the campaign of BAJ in support of journalists prosecuted for their professional activities.

26.11.2014 Activist in Mahiliou requests responsibility for breaking law on citizens’ petitions

Valadar Tsurpanau, an activist in Mahiliou, has written to the Constitutional Court asking to consider the return of responsibility for violating the law on petitions of citizens and legal entities. According to him, only liability under Art. 9.13 of the Administrative Code will be able to stop the practice, when Belarusian-language petitions are replied in Russian by officials.

26.11.2014 Former political prisoner Andrei Haidukou sentenced to 10 days in jail

On November 25, Judge Uladzimir Biasetski of the Polatsk City Court found former political prisoner Andrei Haidukou guilty of violating Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code and sentenced him to 10 days of arrest for “holding an unauthorized picket with the distribution of leaflets”.