The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2015

27.02.2015 Östgruppen encourages Swedish Foreign Ministry to criticize verdict for Dziadok

Swedish human rights initiative Östgruppen calls yesterday’s verdict by the Mahiliou court pronounced in the case of political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok, on the one hand, extremely "original" and the other - "politically motivated", according to svaboda.org. The human rights activists are urging the government of Sweden to sharply and clearly criticize the Lukashenko regime for the persecution of dissidents.

27.02.2015 Death convict’s mother writes to UN Human Rights Committee

Volha Hrunova, the mother of Aliaksandr Hrunou, who was executed on charges of murder, has submitted an individual complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee. She complains of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the state. The woman has exhausted all the domestic remedies, but was unable to force officials to inform her about the time and place of the funeral of her executed son

27.02.2015 Court in Mahiliou turns down suit by trade union activist

Trade union activist Aliaksei Paulouski demanded apologies from a construction company which refused to employ him due to “possible negative consequences”. The suit was considered by the Court of Mahiliou’s Leninski district.

27.02.2015 Judge in Mahiliou reprimanded for disclosing private info in TS case

Stanislau Leuchanka, a judge of the Mahiliou District Court, has received a reprimand for disclosing private details of the trial of a transsexual in a report published by the local government-run newspaper Viacherni Mahiliou.

27.02.2015 Freelance journalist in Brest appeals court ruling

Alina Litvinchuk, a freelance journalist in Brest, is outraged by the fact that she only learned about the charges brought against her and a court decision (a fine of 40 basic units) from the judgment, which he received by mail.

27.02.2015 Activist in Homel stands fresh trial while in prison

Opposition activist Kanstantsin Zhukouski continues his hunger strike in the Homel detention center, after being sentenced to 10 days of arrest for alleged disorderly conduct. The activist was detained on February 20, after he tried to file a complaint in the Executive Committee. After the trial, Kanstantsin Zhukouski declared a hunger strike, which he has held for five days already. On February 25, he began to drink water, because there was a danger to his life and health, but he has not stopped the strike.

27.02.2015 Political prisoner Rubtsou begins to receive newspapers

According to Rubtsou, to achieve it, he had to call the post office and threaten the post staff with a lawsuit.

27.02.2015 Journalist held at police station 4 hours for photographing Academy of Science

A journalist of Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi, Dzmitry Lasko, was held at a police station for four hours.

27.02.2015 Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok sentenced to one more year in prison

Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok has been sentenced to one more year of imprisonment as a result of a trial that ended yesterday in a prison in Mahiliou. He was accused of violating prison rules under Article 411 of the Criminal Code. As a result, Mikalai Dziadok will have to spend one year and three more days in penal colony.

27.02.2015 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Release of political prisoners out of question

Deputy Head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich has commented on the results of the trial of Mikalai Dziadok, which ended yesterday in a prison in Mahiliou.

27.02.2015 Ales Bialiatski becomes honorary citizen of Syracuse

On February 26, the municipal authorities of Syracuse (Italian region of Sicily) awarded Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski the title of honorary citizenship of Syracuse, the “city of peace and human rights”.

26.02.2015 Famous Journalist Denied Visa to Belarus

David Crawford was going to be a lecturer at the Press Club Belarus on February 27. Instead, a webinar will be organized.

26.02.2015 Human rights defenders receive more reports on ongoing harassment of Roma

The Human Rights Center "Viasna" has received a complaint from a group of citizens representing the Roma diaspora in Minsk. According to them, they are facing unreasonable and arbitrary detentions by the law enforcement bodies.

26.02.2015 Human rights activists meet with PACE Special Rapporteur Andrea Rigoni

On February 25, Andrea Rigoni, Special Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), continued his fact-finding visit to Belarus with a meeting with representatives of key human rights organizations: the Human Rights Center "Viasna", the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Center for Legal Transformation Lawtrend.

26.02.2015 Opposition activist in Homel writes complaints while in detention

Opposition activist Kanstantsin Zhukouski, who is serving a 10-day arrest in the detention center for alleged disorderly conduct (swearing), continues his hunger strike.