The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2016

05.02.2016 Paval Vinahradau Fined For Rally In Front Of Tax Inspection Office

The activist brought a coffin with the writing “May We See Your Taxes In a Coffin!” to the porch of the Tax Inspection.

05.02.2016 Court in Vaŭkavysk removes police supervision of Mikalai Autukhovich

On February 4, the Vaŭkavysk District Court ruled to cancel the preventive supervision of former political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich, after 22 months of restrictive measures.

05.02.2016 Belarus human rights organisations urge EU to maintain firm position towards Belarus. A Press Release by FIDH

On February 2nd and 3rd, Ales Bialiatski, President of Human Rights Centre Viasna and FIDH Vice-President and Zhanna Litvina, board member of the Belarus Association of Journalists, came to Brussels to present to the EU the concerted position reached by several Belarus human rights organisations on the development of EU-Belarus relations.

04.02.2016 Netherlands

During a considerable period of its existence the Netherlands were under the influence of Spain, where the death penalty was widely used. However, in the 16th century the Dutch began the fight for independence, and in 1549 launched the creation of the Dutch Republic, which lasted almost until the occupation of the territory by the French troops in 1895.

04.02.2016 International cooperation

The efforts of Belarusian human rights defenders for the abolition of the death penalty are supported by the governments of the European countries, foreign and international human rights organizations. In the present conditions our international partners often play the role of mediators in making claims to the Belarusian authorities.

04.02.2016 Work with state bodies

Violation of human rights is always based on the actions or omissions of the authorities. The same concerns the restoration of justice – it is also possible only through the efforts of the state. In other words, if a person is sentenced to death by the state, only the state can cancel this decision – either on it's own political will or under pressure from human rights defenders and the international community.

04.02.2016 Informing the public

According to a sociological survey, nearly 33% of our citizens do not know that the death penalty is applied in Belarus. During the work on this issue, we conducted dozens of activities aimed at informing people about this issue.

04.02.2016 Our Actions against the Death Penalty

Experience of many countries of the world shows that the more citizens learn about the use of the death penalty, the less public support this measure of punishment has. Our task is not only the abolition of the death penalty by a political decision, but also achieving a clearly negative public attitude to this method of justice.

04.02.2016 Mexico

The history of the death penalty in Mexico has a very old and deep roots. The jurisprudence of the Aztec state had the death penalty and the forms were terrible in their diversity, ranging from decapitation and dismemberment to stoning and hanging. Also, in the era of the Aztecs human lives used to be sacrificed to the gods (often these were prisoners).

04.02.2016 Mikhail Hladki's case

March 13, 2003 was sentenced to 8 years in a high-security penal colony under part 1 of Art. 139 (murder) by the Zaslaŭje Town Court, presided by Judge I. Buyakevich, with lay judges H. Tsikhanovich and R. Valchankova, prosecutor A. Badziulia and lawyer I. Rynkevich.