The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 17 Jul 2015

17.07.2015 “Human Rights Defenders For Free Elections” to maintain close contacts with OSCE ODIHR assessment mission

Today, the chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski, Chair of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak and member of Viasna’s Board Uladzimir Labkovich met with representatives of the OSCE ODIHR election monitoring assessment mission – Mr. Vladimir Misev, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser, and Ms. Tatyana Bogussevich, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser.

17.07.2015 CEC registers campaign teams of 3 presidential candidates

According to BelaPAN, at its today’s meeting the Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered three initiative groups for nominating presidential candidates: the incumbent President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Chairman of the Belarusian Party of the Left "Fair World" Siarhei Kaliakin and Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Siarhei Haidukevich.

17.07.2015 Baranavičy: collecting signatures is only possible in desolate districts

The official website of the Baranavičy city executive committee has published a decision “On the definition of places prohibited for picketing in order to collect signatures for the nomination of candidates for the President of Belarus."

17.07.2015 Biaroza executive committee expands list of forbidden places ahead of elections

The Biaroza district executive committee has expanded the number of places prohibited for picketing in order to collect voters' signatures for the nomination of presidential candidates.

17.07.2015 Ongoing harassment of Tajik activists: 13 years in prison for Maksud Ibragimov, extradition request from Belarus for Shabnam Hudoydodova

According to the BBC Russian service, a court in Tajikistan pronounced yesterday a sentence to the leader of a youth public organization “Youth of Tajikistan for Revival”, Maksud Ibragimov. He was accused of involvement in a banned opposition movement "Group of 24", formerly harassed for extremism by the Tajik authorities, and eventually sentenced to 13 years in prison.

17.07.2015 Freelance journalist Dzmitry Lupach to be tried on July 23

The trial of freelance journalist Dzmitry Lupach will be held at the Hlubokaye District Court.

17.07.2015 Officials in Salihorsk and Niasviž districts send campaigners to ‘ghettos’

The executive authorities of Salihorsk and Niasviž districts have banned the collection of signatures for future potential presidential candidates in most crowded places.

17.07.2015 Vaitsiushkevich blamed for extremism and war propaganda

Another attempt to organize a concert of Dzmitry Vaitsiushkevich in Minsk turned into a scandal.

17.07.2015 Release of Nabeel Rajab must be followed by other measures to put an end to the crackdown on human rights defenders

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders welcomes the release of Mr. Nabeel Rajab but recalls that it is a positive but insufficient step since the Royal Pardon only concerns one of the three set of criminal charges Mr. Rajab has been facing in the last months.