The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for July 2019

31.07.2019 EU, CoE condemn new death sentence in Belarus

The European Union and the Council of Europe have condemned the death sentence pronounced yesterday in Viciebsk.

30.07.2019 New death sentence pronounced in Viciebsk

The Viciebsk Regional Court has sentenced Viktar Paulau, 50, to death finding him guilty of double murder committed in December 2018.

26.07.2019 Picks of the week

New charges confirmed for former political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka; three human rights groups banned from major festival; teenager diagnosed with epilepsy after violent arrest

24.07.2019 Are there alternatives to freedom of peaceful assembly in Belarus?

People who participate in a peaceful assembly usually expect a certain reaction from the authorities. However, the situation with the freedom of peaceful assembly in Belarus is far from being perfect: people who come out to streets to raise their concerns publicly are often arrested and fined.

19.07.2019 Picks of the week

Former political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka facing additional charge; Belarusian civil society downplays revocation of illegal NGO membership; official in Mahilioŭ goes unpunished for banning a protest against herself

13.07.2019 UN Human Rights Council renews mandate of Special Rapporteur on Belarus

The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted in favor of a resolution to extend for a period of one year the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.

12.07.2019 Picks of the week

Exhibition on death penalty in Belarus opens in London; only Belarusian political prisoner does not qualify for early release; religious group charged for policing pilgrimage forced to call off event

12.07.2019 Andrei Paluda: Abolition of the death penalty is what every Belarusian needs

Belarus is the only country in Europe and among post-Soviet states that stills executes people. The people here are killed by shooting in the back of the head. Despite the widely recognized fact that the death penalty does not work as a deterrent and is an apparent vestige of the Middle Ages, the conveyor of death continues to operate, while the veil of secrecy and the inhuman treatment to the families of death row prisoners are reminiscent of the Stalin-era repression.

09.07.2019 Critical blogger cleared of embezzlement charges

The Investigative Committee’s office in the city of Biaroza, Brest region, has closed the criminal case against blogger Aliaksandr Kabanau, known for his role in covering the environmental protests in Brest. He was suspected of misappropriation of more than 400 rubles (USD 200) under Art. 211, Part 1 of the Criminal Code.

08.07.2019 UN human rights experts denounce execution in Belarus

Belarus must halt the executions of individuals who have submitted complaints to the Human Rights Committee, UN human rights experts said today upon being informed about the execution of Aleksandr Zhilnikov whose case is being examined by the Committee.

03.07.2019 UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus: “Too many issues ignored for too long”

On June 2, Anaïs Marin, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation with human rights in Belarus, presented her first report on the human rights situation in the country at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

02.07.2019 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: June 2019

On June 13, Viasna learned about the execution of Aliaksandr Zhylnikau, who was sentenced to death by a verdict of the Minsk City Court. The fate of the other convict in the same case, Viachaslau Sukharka, who was also sentenced to death, is still unknown, but, given the current practice of enforcing death sentences in Belarus, we can assume that he was also executed.

02.07.2019 Berlin passes resolution on Belarus on occasion of European Games

The Bundestag Human Rights Committee has adopted a resolution on Belarus on the occasion of the 2nd European Games in Minsk, condemning the violation of human rights in the country. The document, inter alia, notes the use of the death penalty, poor prison conditions and harsh sentences for drug-related crimes for minors.

01.07.2019 Campaigners present documentary to mark decade of anti-death penalty activism

On June 30, Maladziečna hosted the premiere screening of a documentary entitled “We are against the death penalty” filmed to mark 10 years since the launch of “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”, a nation-wide campaign fighting to end executions in Belarus.