The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for November 2015

24.11.2015 EU reiterates calls to abolish death penalty as new sentence handed down in Belarus

The European Union External Action Service has issued a statement on the death sentence handed down on November 20 to Ivan Kulesh by the Hrodna Regional Court.

24.11.2015 Football fans beaten by police in Sluck

Some 50 football fans were detained and beaten by riot police after a match between FC Sluck and FC Homieĺ at the Sluck City Stadium on November 21, belultras.by said.

23.11.2015 Authorities to investigate police-related violence in ‘graffiti case’

Viachaslau Kasinerau, an activist accused in the so-called ‘graffiti case’, has been told that a criminal case was opened to investigate the injuries he suffered when brutally detained by employees of a special detachment of the Interior Ministry on August 11 this year.

23.11.2015 Human rights books seized by customs officers

A number of books covering human rights issues were taken from Aliaksandr Hanevich, while crossing the state border of Belarus last Thursday, November 19.

20.11.2015 Another death sentence handed down in Hrodna

The Hrodna Regional Court chaired by Judge Anatol Zayats has sentenced to death a resident of Lida District Ivan Kulesh.

20.11.2015 Minsk court fines opposition leaders Anatol Liabedzka and Viachaslau Siuchyk

The Court of Minsk’s Centraĺny district heard today the administrative charges brought against Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, and opposition politician Viachaslau Siuchyk.

20.11.2015 Valiantsin Stefanovich comments on plans to prosecute Belarus mercenaries in Donbass

Interior Minister of Belarus Ihar Shunevich said when talking to reporters on November 19 that a number of Belarusians could face criminal charges for being involved in the Donbass war. Deputy Head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich has highlighted some aspects of mercenary activities from a legal perspective.

20.11.2015 Svislač court fines activist over memorial event

The Svislač District Court has fined Yury Hlebik 4.5 mln rubles for involvement in a memorial event held to honor the memory of the 1863 anti-Russian uprising participants, which was held on October 31.

20.11.2015 Independent Journalists From Homel Lodged Complaints With Prosecutor General

In addition, the fined freelance journalists are going to file appeals to the US Human Rights Committee.

19.11.2015 Two persons face death verdicts in Homieĺ

The Homieĺ Regional Court has started hearing criminal charges of triple murder brought against two Romanies of Žlobin, Aliaksandr and Rubina, both 23, accused of killing three relatives in October last year.

19.11.2015 Interior Ministry ignores complaints about detention conditions in Smaliavičy

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has rejected an appeal by Leanid Kulakou, an activist of the European Belarus opposition movement, who earlier complained about the conditions of detention in the police department of Smaliavičy.

18.11.2015 Officials say there are no funds to improve conditions in detention facility in Barysaŭ

Opposition activist Zmitser Khvedaruk, who was one of the football fans detained by the police during a match on October 12 in Barysaŭ and held almost 24 hours in the district police department, has complained about the conditions in the local temporary detention facility.

17.11.2015 Viasna: Harassment of Andrei Bandarenka in prison linked to his earlier human rights activities

The Human Rights Center "Viasna" has written to Siarhei Daroshka, head of the Interior Ministry’s Department of Corrections, to highlight the conditions of detention of Andrei Bandarenka, former leader of the Platform Innovation NGO.

16.11.2015 Courts afraid to deal with discrimination cases

The Viciebsk Regional Court heard today a lawsuit dealing with employment discrimination. Earlier, the Court of Polack refused to recognize a fact of discrimination against a former employee of the Polack-Šklovalakno enterprise, Viktar Stukau, over his membership in an independent trade union.

16.11.2015 Campaigner briefly detained in Mahilioŭ

Mikita Fartukh, an activist of a campaign against Presidential Decree No. 3 “On prevention of social dependency”, was briefly detained by the police in Mahilioŭ, while campaigning outside the Radzima cinema last evening.