The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2016

31.12.2016 May the New Year be a 'good one, without any fear'!

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!

30.12.2016 EU calls on Belarus to join global moratorium on the death penalty

"Yet another death sentence was handed down this week in Belarus, to Mr Kiryl Kazachok. This sentence, which follows the execution of four persons earlier this year, goes against the commitments made by Belarusian authorities to consider the introduction of a moratorium on the death penalty," EU External Action Service said in a statement.

28.12.2016 Man in Mazyr sentenced to death

Another death sentence has been handed down in Belarus. Kiryl Kazachok, 39, has been found guilty of murdering his two minor children and sentenced to capital punishment, BelaPAN said.

27.12.2016 Minsk City Court confirms sentence for Dzmitry Paliyenka

The Minsk City Court has rejected an appeal filed against a two-year suspended sentence earlier imposed on Dzmitry Paliyenka for his involvement in the Critical Mass cycling protest in April 2016. The sentence has entered into force.

26.12.2016 Uladzimir Kondrus sentenced to 1.5 years of personal restraint and forced treatment

The Court of Maskoŭski district of Minsk sentenced today Uladzimir Kondrus, the last defendant in the December 2010 riot trial, to 1.5 years of personal restraint and forced outpatient treatment, finding the defendant to be partially insane, which was taken into account as a mitigating circumstance. The sentence also absorbed the period of pre-trial detention.

23.12.2016 Valiantsin Stefanovich: “Forced labor in Belarus is systemic and systematic”

Human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich has once again written to the Prosecutor's Office of Minsk region to complain about new instances of forced, when employees of several local government-owned enterprises were sent to clean the forest in Lahojsk district.

21.12.2016 Overwhelming majority of states support universal moratorium on the death penalty. Belarus abstains

FIDH applauds the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution to establish a global moratorium on the death penalty, endorsed by an overwhelming majority on 19 December 2016. A record number of 117 States voted in favor of the text; 40 voted against it, and 31 abstained.

16.12.2016 MP proposes to consider moratorium on the death penalty

Alena Anisim, member of the House of Representatives, has proposed to consider the question of declaring a moratorium on the death penalty at the second session of the parliament’s lower chamber of the sixth convocation, which will open in early April 2017, naviny.by said.

14.12.2016 Prison doctors face charges over fatal incident in Žodzina jail

The Žodzina city department of the Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the death of Ihar Barbashynski, an inmate of local jail, in September 2016. A notification received by the victim’s mother says that the case was opened under Part 2 of Article 162 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of professional duties by a healthcare practitioner, which negligently caused the death of a patient).

13.12.2016 Council of Europe holds conference on the death penalty amid executions in Minsk

A conference on the abolition of the death penalty and public opinion opened today in Minsk’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. The event was organized by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

12.12.2016 Situation in Belarus still frozen, human rights defenders say

Certain positive changes have taken place in the sphere of human rights over the past year, but the problem of their protection is still relevant, Belarusian human rights activists told belapan.by on the occasion of Human Rights Day celebrated on December 10.

07.12.2016 Amnesty International: Belarus’ last prisoner on death row at risk

Siarhei Vostrykau is the last known prisoner on death row in Belarus after the authorities executed the other remaining three prisoners on death row on 5 November. Siarhei Vostrykau is at imminent risk of execution.

06.12.2016 FIDH concerned over upcoming constitutional referendum in Kyrgyzstan

The stability of the Constitution is the most important condition for a state’s development, a robust rule of law, and guarantees of compliance with human rights and freedoms.

06.12.2016 Miklós Haraszti: “The bloody reality of Belarus’ judicial system stains Europe”

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, has said that the recent executions carried out by Belarus, and confirmed last week, show once again the persistent disregard for human rights in the country.

06.12.2016 Belarus executions “flagrant disregard” for international human rights law – UN experts

UN human rights experts are outraged by Belarus’ continued use of the death penalty following reports that two men whose cases were before the UN Human Rights Committee were executed, despite a specific request from the Committee not to carry out the planned executions.