News for January 2021
15.01.2021 Political prisoner Artsiom Khvashcheuski sentenced to one year in prison
The Frunzienski District Court of Minsk sentenced today political prisoner Artsiom Khvashcheuski to one year in a general security penal colony. Khvashcheuski was found guilty of “organizing group actions which gravely breach public order” (Article 342 of the Criminal Code).
15.01.2021 Man re-sentenced to death after retrial in Sluck
At a court hearing held today in the city of Sluck, the Minsk Regional Court handed down a death verdict to Viktar Skrundzik on charges of killing two elderly persons and attempting to murder an 85-year-old woman in January 2019. Three other defendants in the trial were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
14.01.2021 Belarus: Unprecedented Crackdown
Human Rights Watch sums up developments in Belarus in its World Report 2021
14.01.2021 Statement on recognizing five members of Press Club Belarus as political prisoners
Joint statement by Belarusian human rights organizations
13.01.2021 Belarus denies allegations of arbitrary detention of woman human rights defenders
The Belarusian government has replied to a October 23 joint letter by a number of UN experts concerning the alleged arbitrary detention of and judicial proceedings against woman human rights defenders Marina Dubina, Irina Sukhiy, and Maria Rabkova.
13.01.2021 The 2021 World Ice Hockey Championship has no place in Belarus
Joint press release by FIDH – International Federation for Human Rights and the Human Rights Center "Viasna"
12.01.2021 Members of the German Bundestag take over godparenthood for Yury Bialko and David Mastsitski
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Christoph Matschie (SPD) and Alexander Krauß (CDU) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus.
11.01.2021 9 new political prisoners in Belarus
Joint statement by the human rights organizations of Belarus
11.01.2021 Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemns persecution of Leanid Sudalenka
The Observatory has been informed by the Human Rights Center “Viasna” about the judicial harassment of Leanid Sudalenka, lawyer of the Homieĺ (Gomel) branch of the HRC "Viasna".
08.01.2021 Human Rights Situation in Belarus in 2020. Analytical Review by Viasna
The 2020 repressions are unprecedented for the entire history of Belarus and testify to the profound human rights crisis in the country, which has led to the international isolation of Belarus and repeated sanctions by the EU, the U.S. and the UK.
06.01.2021 In 2020, more than 100 people were convicted in politically motivated criminal cases
In the last two months of 2020, dozens of criminal cases finally reached courts. Viasna has been able to track at least 103 sentences handed down in criminal cases related to the events that took place during and after the August 9 presidential election.
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