The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2019

27.09.2019 Picks of the week

Trial of Dzmitry Paliyenka postponed; wheelchair user reports accessibility issues in election campaigning; Tajik opposition activist detained in Belarus, awaits extradition

27.09.2019 OSCE HDIM 2019: Belarus in focus

The OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Europe's largest annual human rights and democracy conference, is closing today in Warsaw, following two weeks of discussions that brought together hundreds of activists and policy-makers.

24.09.2019 Human rights activists demand open trial in Dzmitry Paliyenka case

The trial in the criminal case of anarchist activist Dzmitry Paliyenka has been scheduled for September 25. The hearing will be held behind closed doors at the Minsk City Court.

20.09.2019 Picks of the week

Opposition leader warned over election picket; trial of Dzmitry Paliyenka set for September 25; REP leaders finally allowed to recover siezed property

20.09.2019 “We need to show that society is concerned about the death penalty”

From 5 to 10 October, various locations across Belarus will host the seventh annual Week Against the Death Penalty, the main slogan of which will be “Justice Without Killing.” Andrei Paluda, coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus” and organizer of the Week, has shared his plans for this year’s events, calling on everyone to join the activities of the annual outreach initiative.

19.09.2019 The life of the Belarusian Roma: Unvarnished truth

“It is unbelievable that people can be so poor today. Sometimes, there are no doors in the houses and the windows are shielded with cardboard. There’s no electricity, too.”

17.09.2019 OSCE major meeting to discuss human rights situation in Belarus ahead of elections

The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), is taking place in Warsaw, Poland, from 16 to 27 September.

17.09.2019 Call For Justice After 'Homophobic' Attack On Belarus Filmmaker

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Belarusian authorities to ensure justice for a brutal attack on documentary filmmaker Mikalai Kuprych last month, and to reassure members of the country’s LGBT community that “homophobic violence won’t be tolerated.”

13.09.2019 Picks of the week

Interior Ministry will not appeal ruling in police brutality case; political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny scores 500 days of prison penalties; Viasna puts online a video about house arrest conditions of union leader Henadz Fiadynich

11.09.2019 Minsk family wins BYN 2,800 compensation in police brutality case

The Minsk Zavodski District Court has delivered a judgement in favor of Dzmitry Serada and his family in a hearing of a claim seeking compensation for the brutal police raid in their apartment in August 2016. The court ordered the authorities to pay 2,886 rubles (USD 1,380) in damages, including broken doors, windows, and therapy costs.

11.09.2019 CPJ: Turkmenistan, Iran, Belarus Among World's 'Most Censored Countries'

In a new report, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) named Turkmenistan, Iran, and Belarus as being among the ten worst countries for press censorship.

10.09.2019 FIDH: Russian Pro-Democracy Protesters Undeterred by Repression

In a series of protests this summer, around 100,000 people took to the streets in Moscow to support independent candidates for elections to the Moscow City Council, which will take place on 8 September. The disproportionate reaction—brute force and prosecution—used by the Russian National Guard and the police to suppress this outpouring of civic mobilization belies the political establishment’s fear of dissent. A new report from FIDH provides a complete account of the protests—whose high level of youth participation suggests a trend of growing political engagement among the young generation—and the accompanying violations of human rights.

06.09.2019 Parliamentary elections 2019. Report on the formation of territorial and district election commissions

Representatives of the five largest pro-government associations and unions affiliated to the FPB, recently joined by the Belarusian Peace Foundation, are still the main organizers of the elections.

04.09.2019 Party members still minority on election commissions

Members of political parties constitute as few as 14% of the total number of district election commissioners formed to administer the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 17, the Central Election Commission said in a milestone report.