The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2020

28.02.2020 Picks of the week

Human rights defenders sum up aftermath of pro-independence protests; UN urged to intervene in cases of repeated detention of Belarusian protesters; Viasna activist briefly detained in Niasviž district

21.02.2020 Picks of the week

Dzmitry Paliyenka loses appeal to Supreme Court; political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny claims his mail is destroyed by prison authorities; alternative report on UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities presented in Minsk

20.02.2020 Amnesty International urges Belarus not to execute death row prisoner Viktar Serhel

Amnesty International has launched an urgent action in support of Viktar Serhel, death row prisoner who lost his appeal to the Supreme Court on January 31 and may be thus executed at any moment.

14.02.2020 HRDs demand prompt retrial for convicted political prisoners

On February 12, 2020, the Court of the Saviecki district of Minsk sentenced anarchists Mikita Yemialiyanau and Ivan Komar to seven years in prison each for damage to public property (Art. 341 of the Criminal Code), attempted intentional damage to property and intentional damage to property (Part 1 of Art. 14, Part 2 of Art. 218, Part 2 of Art. 218 of the Criminal Code), unlawful actions in respect of items the damaging effect of which is based on the use of combustibles (Part 2 of Art. 295-3 of the Code).

13.02.2020 Anarchists receive lengthy prison terms over Molotov cocktail attack

Two activists describing themselves as anarchists were sentenced yesterday to seven years in a maximum-security penal colony following a trial that found them guilty on two counts of criminal hooliganism.

11.02.2020 FIDH slams Russia’s “move to devalue international human rights treaties”

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has joined an appeal released by the International Federation for Human Rights urging the Russian parliamentarians and the Russian people to vote against the proposed amendments to the country’s Constitution, as they could “effectively legalize the selective implementation of decisions of international treaty bodies”.

07.02.2020 Picks of the week

Convicted trade union activist counts on early release; authorities re-open investigation into prisoner's death; Bialiatski calls to re-investigate police raid on Roma houses

07.02.2020 Amnesty International urges Belarus to end repression against peaceful protestors

Amnesty International strongly condemns the current clampdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Belarus. The statement comes in response to reports from local human rights defenders claiming that over 150 people have been prosecuted and fined on “illegal protesting” charges, following their peaceful participation in protests in November and December 2019.

03.02.2020 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: January 2020

During the month, there were new trials of participants in the December protests against the so-called “advanced integration”. In total, according to the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, in January, administrative responsibility under Art. 23.34 of the Administrative Code affected 92 people.