Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in April 2012
April was marked by
first steps towards de-escalation of the political conflict between
the Belarusian authorities and the European Union. Two political
prisoners were released as a result – former presidential candidate
Andrei Sannikau and his electioneering agent Dzmitry Bandarenka (on
14 and 15 April respectively). In response to this move the EU
refused to take further sanctions against Belarus, while stressing
the need to release all political prisoners at the meeting of 23
April.
Another symbol of the beginning of a political thaw in
relations between the EU and the Belarusian authorities and the
gradual restoration of dialog was the return of the EU ambassadors
who had left Belarus in late February to express solidarity with the
head of the European Commission Maira Mora and Ambassador of Poland
Leszek Szerepko to whom the Belarusian Foreign Ministry had proposed
to go to their capitals for consultations in order to "convey to
their leadership the tough position of the Belarusian side about the
unacceptability of pressure and sanctions."
However,
official Minsk took the position of denying that the release of A.
Sannikau and Dz. Bandarenka was the result of political pressure
from the EU. On 21 April, speaking to reporters at the community work
day in Minsk, Lukashenka said: "If they hadn't written an appeal
for pardon, they would have still been in prison, and those who
stayed there and haven't written an appeal to the president, will be
left there". At the same time, he did not rule out that an
amnesty could be declared, calling the approximate term, the Day of
Independence (3 July), and explaining his intention in the following
way: "We have released these bandits whereas normal people
suffer in prisons". By this statement Lukashenka called not only
the approximate date, but also the legal procedure which could be
used for the release of political prisoners.
The Head of
Presidential Administration of Belarus Uladzimir Makei also
categorically denied that the release of political prisoners was a
result of the tough and consistent position of the EU. On 17 April he
said: "There will be no release under pressure... They say that
there are still some fifteen or twenty political prisoners who, I
quote, "must be released immediately, and immediately
rehabilitated". Even radical revolutionaries-anarchists, who
have thrown bottles with Molotov cocktails at the Russian Embassy,
were included into this list. According to the interpretation of the
European Union, tomorrow this list can be extended to 50-60
people."
These statements of the country's leaders left
the hope that the process of the release of political prisoners would
be resumed after the seven-month break since September 2011. The
Human Rights Center "Viasna" insists on the unconditional
release of 10 persons: Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Autukhovich, Ales
Bialiatski, Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalai Dziadok, Aliaksandr
Frantskevich, Siarhei Kavalenka, Eduard Lobau, Pavel Seviarynets and
Mikalai Statkevich, and requires the review of the case of Artsiom
Prakapenka, Pavel Syramalotau and Yauhen Vaskovich at a fair trial,
which would issue adequate penalties for their offenses.
The
tendency towards restriction of the civil and political activity of
political opponents including former political prisoners strengthened
during April: a criminal case for violation of the conditions of the
preventive supervision was brought against Vasil Parfiankou,
preventive supervision was established over Pavel Vinahradau for the
term of two years (in March such supervision was also established
over Uladzimir Yaromenak for one year). The administrative
persecution of activists on trumped-up grounds continued as well.
Cases of illegal and arbitrary detentions and arrests were
registered. April was marked with the suppression of freedom of
expression and freedom of assembly: all street actions but the
"Chernobyl Way" rally in Minsk were banned in Belarus.
Political prisoners. Politically motivated criminal
prosecution
The most important event in April regarding
political prisoners was the release of former presidential candidate
Andrei Sannikau and his electioneering agent Dzmitry Bandarenka.
Andrei Sannikau, who was serving his sentence in the correctional
colony "Vitsba-3", was released on 14 April, Easter's eve.
The following morning Dzmitry Bandarenka was released from Mahiliou
colony #15. The pardon decree was signed by Aliaksandr
Lukashenka.
On 17 April A. Sannikau was summoned to the
criminal executive inspection of Pershamaiski Police Department of
Minsk, for prophylactic registration. There he was warned that a
preventive supervision would be established over him in case he
committed any administrative offenses. No travel restrictions were
imposed on him. The former presidential candidate was informed that
his criminal record would remain for at least 8 years. The same day
the former political prisoner held a press-conference. He said that
he had written the petition for clemency to stop provocations and
pressurization towards himself. However, he stressed that he hadn't
pleaded guilty. "I wrote what is called not a petition, but a
request for clemency. I did it consciously and I will not comment on
it any more. The only thing I can say is that I did not plead guilty,
although there was an enormous pressure in order to make me do it.
The pressure was in the colony, but I cannot speak about the details.
I wrote the request to stop the pressure and provocations, which were
there. I signed it because at some point I realized that it wasn't
about pardon. Quite serious things could happen to me, up to physical
destruction ... What was done to my personal life and the lives of my
family, is just awful."
Dzmitry Bandarenka told about the
prison conditions: "There was no law, there were threats of rape
and mutilation. There were attempts to pressurize or recruit me. I
said straight out that there were limits which I would not cross, I
would just commit suicide ... I had such a decision. I had always
articulated it, so it created for me a certain space."
The
release of A. Sannikau, and Dz. Bandarenka, was welcomed by the EU
High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy,
Vice-President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, EU
Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, Stefan
Fule, the President of the OSCE, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister
Ayman Gilmore, Special Rapporteur of PACE Committee on Belarus Andres
Herkel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and other European
governments, politicians and international organizations, who at the
same time urged the authorities to release the remaining political
prisoners.
As it follows from Ales Bialiatski's letter,
received in the beginning of April, of 29 March Pershamaiski District
Court of Minsk granted the lawsuit of Pershamaiski District Tax
Inspection of Minsk concerning the exaction of more than 140 million
rubles of fine for the untimely payment of the sum of taxes, though
the sum which had been paid by the human rights defender in January
had already been indexed for inflation, after which it became twice
bigger. The civil case was considered by Judge Volha Baham'ya with
the participation of the tax officers of Pershamaiski district
Sobaleva, Todryk and Kartashova. Neither Bialiatski's colleagues nor
his family knew anything about this lawsuit – Bialiatski mailed the
court verdict to his wife. The trial took place in the absence of
Bialiatski, which was mentioned in the judgment: "The defendant
didn't appear at the trial, he is kept in prison and was duly
notified about the date and place of the case consideration".
Ales Bialiatski's attorney wasn't present at the trial either. The
new financial pretensions to the human rights defender created an
artificial legal obstacle to the application of all forms of
reduction of his prison sentence – parole, amnesty and pardon.
On
19 April it became known that the Nobel committee accepted the
candidacy of the Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski for
the Peace Prize Award.
On 10 April Vitebsk Region Court
started the consideration of the appeal of the activist of the
Conservative Christian Party "Belarusian Popular Front"
Siarhei Kavalenka. The panel of judges issued a ruling on the
appointment of a comprehensive psychiatric examination of S.
Kavalenka in the Navinki hospital in Minsk. The consideration of the
appeal against the verdict of Pershamaiski District Court of Vitsebsk
was suspended until the conclusion of psychiatrists. The court was
presented the preliminary opinion of psychiatrists that the convicted
person has a mental disorder, one of manifestations of which was the
rejection of food. The examination was to determine whether S.
Kavalenka suffered from mental illness at the time of committing a
criminal offense and whether he could comprehend his actions; whether
he was still suffering from a mental illness, whether forced
treatment was required and whether he had individual peculiarities of
psychical state. As it became known on 13 April, in Navinki the
political prisoner stopped the hunger-strike he had been keeping
since December 2011.
On 10 April Maskouski District Court of
Minsk established preventive supervision over the former political
prisoner Pavel Vinahradau for a period of 2 years. He is forbidden to
leave Minsk without permission from the police, must stay home from
20 p.m. to 8 a.m. and report to the criminal-executive inspection at
the place of residence four times a month. The preventive supervision
was established in connection with the fact that Pavel Vinahradau has
been detained and sentenced several times this year, allegedly for
using foul language in public. Police officers considered it as a
sufficient reason for strengthening oversight of the former political
prisoner.
On 19 April Pershamaiski District Department of the
Investigative Committee in Minsk informed the former political
prisoner Vasil Parfiankou that a criminal case was brought against
him for violating the conditions of preventive supervision,
established by Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk on 5 January 2012
for a term of one year. The reason for the preventive supervision was
that V. Parfiankou took part in the action of solidarity with
political prisoners on 19 December 2011 and was sentenced to 12 days
of arrest for it.
On 26 April the administration of the open
penitentiary institution in the village of Kuplin in Pruzhany
district denied parole to political prisoner Pavel Seviarynets. The
decision was made on recommendation of the so-called Council of
educators, which consists of representatives of the administration
and the heads of the collective farms where convicts work. The
decision was made despite a positive response, due to the fact that
the convicted person did not admit his guilt and repent.
On 26
April the administration of Ivatsevichy colony # 22 informed
political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich that he was denied a
meeting which was assigned on 4 May. His mother was not informed
about the reasons for the denial. A long-term (three-day) meeting
with relatives is provided pursuant to the Criminal Executive Code,
and may be revoked for violations of the prison regime, but
Frantskevich didn't have such violations.
Death
penalty
On 5 April Liubou Kavaliova and Tatsiana Kaziar,
mother and sister of executed death convict Uladzislau Kavaliou,
received information from the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights. This information was sent by representatives of the
Government of Belarus to the UN office in Geneva on 15 March 2012 –
the same day, when Uladzislau Kavaliou was shot. Representatives of
Belarus informed the Human Rights Committee that a supervisory appeal
was filed to the Supreme Court by Kavaliou and the president was
considering his request for clemency, and the execution would be
suspended until their consideration.
On 11 April, former
chairman of the Constitutional Court and the Prosecutor General of
Belarus Ryhor Vasilevich said in an interview to the European Radio
For Belarus that the death penalty can be abolished without a
referendum: "From the formal and legal standpoint, of course,
this issue can be resolved without the referendum. The decision of
the referendum (24 November 1996) was of a consultative nature.
Actually, another decision can be taken. But the president and the
parliament – they represent the people. And the opinion of citizens
for them is important, which affects their decisions. One can
understand them – 80% of the votes! But if we pay not attention to
it, then the issue can be resolved by modifying the Criminal Code.
Solutions to this problem can be very different. Perhaps a moratorium
can be introduced."
On 30 April Uladzislau Kavaliou's
mother Liubou Kavaliova filed a complaint with the head of the KGB
jail, demanding the return of the written notes, made by her son
during the trial. After the execution she had received a parcel from
the KGB prison with her son's belongings. However, the writings of
Uladzislau Kavaliou disappeared. The mother thinks that the
investigation and the court which sentenced her son to death weren't
objective and the yellow folder could contain some information which
the KGB prison was reluctant to disclose.
Enforced
disappearances
On 27 April the widow of the missing
journalist Dzmitry Zavadski, Sviatlana Zavadskaya,
received
an answer to her appeal to the Council of Ministers which contained a
proposal for the accession of the Republic of Belarus to the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the
view that there is no need for Belarus to join the Convention because
its provisions are implemented in the legislation of the Republic of
Belarus – kidnapping of people falls into the category of crimes
against humanity, and provides for criminal liability, and
inadmissibility of the exemption from liability or punishment in
connection with the lapse of time. Foreign Minister also noted that
the criminal law of Belarus and its application is also based on a
strict storage safeguards against kidnapping of the people which
results in their disappearance. The answer signed by the Deputy
Minister Hur'yanau.
However, the articles of the Criminal Code
mentioned in the answer provide punishment for kidnapping, not for
enforced disappearance. According to the definition of the
Convention, enforced disappearance – always results from actions of
the authorities or other individuals, supported by them.
Torture
and cruel treatment
On 7 April,
"Young Front" activists Dzmitry Kramianetski and Mikhail
Muski were detained in Minsk metro station "Kupalauskaya"
for posting stickers "Freedom to Dashkevich". The arrest
and detention of the activists were accompanied by beatings and
humiliation.
Kramianetski: "The police hid their badges
so that we could not see who detained us, and said that we used foul
language. Mikhail asked to go to the toilet. Instead, he was
handcuffed to a radiator and beaten. Somewhat later they handcuffed
me as well, and started beating. We lied on the floor for about three
hours."
Muski: "Dzmitry was beaten unconscious, but
they didn't even call an ambulance".
Kramianetski: "The
duty policemen at the detention center on Akrestsin Street threatened
us with physical violence. He said: You will be kept here, but you
won't feel well. It was captain Yesmantovich."
At the
trial on 9 April both "Young Front "activists solicited for
medical assistance. D. Kramianetski was taken away to hospital
because of a high blood pressure. However, soon he was returned to
the court. The court ignored the state of the defendants' health.
Judge Maryna Zapasnik sentenced Mikhail Muski to 10 days of arrest
for disorderly conduct, and Judge Mikhail Homa issued the same
penalty to Dzmitry Kramianetski.
Politically
motivated restrictions on freedom of movement
On
28 March the General Prosecutor's Office informed the Deputy Chairman
of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich,
who was restricted from traveling outside of Belarus, that his
complaint was forwarded to the Ministry of Defense. On 12 April
Partyzanski District Police Department of Minsk re-directed his
complaint again. Bear in mind that the reason for the foreign travel
restrictions towards Stefanovich were that he allegedly evaded from
call-up to military service. However, the human rights activist is 12
years older than the maximum draft age and passed military service in
1990-92. At the same time, Partyzanski District Military Enlistment
Office in Minsk denied having taking any decisions on imposing
foreign travel restrictions towards Stefanovich.
A questioning
concerning the appeal of the head of the Belarusian Helsinki
Committee Aleh Hulak against foreign travel restrictions was to have
taken place on 6 April, within the limits of preparation to the
trial. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs
were defendants in the case. However, on 4 April Aleh Hulak received
a telephone call from the secretary of Tsentralny District Court of
Minsk. The secretary stated that the judge who was to have considered
the case was unable to attend the sitting of 6 April because she
needed to receive citizens. The date of the sitting was postponed
indefinitely. Aleh Hulak states that he hadn't ever met such
postponements in his practice. Analogical
message was received by the BHC lawyer Hary Pahaniaila. The
Preliminary hearing on his case was to have taken place on 18
April.
On 11 April, former
political prisoner Aliaksandr Atroshchankau was set down the train on
the way to Lithuania. As he was told in the Citizenship and Migration
Board, he was restricted to travel abroad according to the verdict of
the court of Orsha and the Orsha district of 29 March 2012, when
Atroshchankau and other leaders of the Belarusian opposition were
fined for alleged disorderly conduct in a train. However, the judge
hadn't issued any foreign travel restrictions during the trial and
Atroshchankau didn't receive any information about the restriction of
his right to travel, as demanded by the law. He appealed against the
court verdict, and it couldn't enter into legal force until the
consideration of his appeal. Even after the entry of the verdict into
force some time would pass before the start of enforcement
proceedings and the decision on forced exaction of the fine in case
of non-payment. Thus, there were no legal grounds for imposing
restrictions on A. Atroshchankau.
Administrative
prosecution of social and political activists, arbitrary
detentions
On 12 April, Leninski
District Court of Minsk fined the activists
of the "Young Front" Nasta Shuleika and Yury Khodusau. The
activists were detained on 11 April near the entrance of the subway
station "Aktsiabrskaya", where the solemn opening of the
memorial sign "River of Memory", dated to the first
anniversary of the terrorist act, was taking place. The "Young
Front" activists were found guilty under Article 17.1,
"disorderly conduct". Judge Maryna Zapasnik fined Nasta
Shuleika 20 basic units, and Judge Mikhail Khoma fined Yury Khodus 15
basic units.
On 12 April, activists of the civil campaign
"Tell the Truth!" Andrei Dzmitryieu, Yury Hanchar and
Mikhail Pashkevich were detained together with a local defender of
the interests of owners of summer residences Vasil Kazlouski. The
detainees were guarded to Smaliavichy District Police Department
right from an assembly of the owners of summer residentces. A.
Dzmitryieu and M. Pashkevich received writs to come to Smaliavichy
DPD again. Later they received charges of violation of the rules of
holding mass events in connection with their participation on the
assembly of summer residents on 10 March.
On 19 April,
Maskouski District Court of Minsk fined Krystsina Kuleika and
Marharyta Lavyshyk, detained short before, 15 basic units under
Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code ("disorderly conduct").
The case of M. Lavyshyk was considered by Judge Tatsiana Motyl and
the case of K. Kuleika – by Judge Jury Sezen. Marharyta Lavyshyk
was the girl-friend of the coordinator of the campaign "Revolution
through Social Networks" Viachaslau Dziyanau. The detention took
place while she was talking with him over Skype. The detained girls
were taken to the delinquents' isolation center on Akrestsin Street.
According to representatives of "Revolution through Social
Networks", the girls didn't participate in its activities.
On 20 April the activist of the "Young Front" Nasta
Shuleika was detained near the shop next to her house. She was
charged with disorderly conduct. On 21 April Judge of the Maskouski
District Court of Minsk Tatsiana Motyl sentenced her to 10 days of
arrest.
On 22 April Hrodna human
rights defenders Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Viktar Sazonau were
detained by customs officers at the border
crossing "Pryvalka." One of the customs officers saw human
rights editions in a bag, after which the car by which the activists
were driving, was taken away to a special place and fenced. It's
steering wheel and wheels were locked. In addition, it was guarded by
a border guard with a dog. The customs officers conducted a personal
examination of Khilmanovich and Sazonau. All this lasted for about 5
hours. The customs officers composed a report of confiscation of the
books "Our Viasna" and photo albums dedicated to political
prisoners and events which had taken place on Nezalezhnasts Square on
19 December. 2012. Two DVDs with the documentary "Cause of Death
Left Blank" were confiscated as well.
In the evening of
23 April an activist of "Revolution thought Social Networks"
Siarhei Biaspalau was subject to personal examination while crossing
the Belarusian border by the train Terespol-Brest. As a result of the
examination his laptop was confiscated (a confiscation report was
drawn up). After this the activist was let go.
At 11 p.m. on
25 April "Young Front" activist Dzmitry Stankevich was
detained by police at the entrance of the metro station "Institut
Kultury", who had a streamer, prepared especially for the
"Chernobyl Way" rally. On 26 April Maskouski District Court
of Minsk sentenced him to 3 days of arrest under Article 17.1 of the
Administrative Code, "disorderly conduct".
On 26 April the
activists of "Tell the Truth" Aliaksandr Akhmach and Marat
Nestisarenka were detained for almost three hours for handing out
leaflets dedicated to an anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster and
the planned construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus. At
first the detainees were guarded to the Brest District Court, and
then – to Leninski District Police Department in Brest, where a
report of confiscation of the remaining leaflets was drawn up. The
policemen explained that the leaflets would be directed for
expertise, after which it would be decided whether there was an
administrative corpus delicti in the actions of Akhmach and
Nestiarenka. The activists spent almost three hours in detention.
On 26 April Ihar Simbirou, a civil activist from Asipovichy,
was detained at the railway station in Minsk where he came to take
part in "Chernobyl Way". He was detained by police major
Aliaksei Karobka and a police officer whose surname was
Zakhvitsevich. He was taken to Kastrychnitski District Police
Department with the use of physical force, where a report under
Article 17.1 was drawn up against him. The same day Natallia
Pratasavitskaya, Judge of the Kastrychnitski District Court of Minsk,
sentenced him to 10 days of arrest. The trial lasted for just 10
minutes.
On 25 April Savetski District Court in Minsk
considered the case of former political prisoner, activist of "Tell
the Truth!" Pavel Vinahradau, detained at Maskouski district
criminal-executive inspection in Minsk and charged under Article
17.1. He solicited for postponement of the trial so that his lawyer
could take part in it. Judge Dzmitry Pauliuchenka granted the
petition and postponed the hearing to the following day. On 26 April
the activist was sentenced to 5 days of arrest.
On 26 April
Valiantsina Dvarakova was detained during the "Chernobyl Way"
rally. She was charged under Article 23.34 of the Code of
Administrative Offenses (violation of the order of organizing and
holding mass events). The girl was "guilty" of greeting the
demonstrators with a white-red-white flag. At first the police came
to her flat. Then the girl was guarded to the police department where
she was fingerprinted. Even formal traits of corpus delicti of an
administrative offense are absent in the actions of Valiantsina
Dvarakova.
On 27 April, Savetski District Court of Minsk held
the trials of activists of "Young Front" Mikalai
Dzemidzenka, Mikhail Muski and Raman Vasilyeu, as well as Aliaksei
Churylau and Dzmitry Shauliukevich, detained after the end of
"Chernobyl Way" rally on 26 April and charged under Article
17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, "disorderly
conduct". Dzmitry Kramianetski and Uladzimir Yaromenak were
detained near the court and given the same charges. Judge Aksana
Reliava sentenced Aliaksei Churylau and Dzmitry Shauliukevich to 10
days of arrest and Mikhail Muski – to 15 days; Judge Dzmitry
Pauliuchenka sentenced Mikalai Dzemidzenka to 15 days of arrest.
Raman Vasilyeu and Uladzimir Yaromenak were sentenced to 15 and 7
days of arrest respectively. The trial of Dzmitry Kramianetski took
place on 28 April. Judge Dzmitry Pauliuchenka sentenced him to 7 days
of arrest.
On 30 April 19 people were detained by riot police
at the premises of the "Free Theater" in Minsk, where the
view of the film "Europe's last dictator" was organized.
All of them were guarded to Savetski District Police Department of
Minsk, where they were kept for almost two hours. Police officer
Tsyrko insulted the under-aged Tatsiana Karnevich and Yuliya
Kalodkina during interrogation. Several files were deleted from the
laptop of Viktoryia Kolchyna and the password was changed, after
which it was returned to the owner. A memory flash card disappeared
from the camera of journalist Krauchuk.
Restrictions
on freedom of speech and the right to impart information, persecution
of journalists
On 12 April Aksana Ratnikava, Judge of the
Leninski District Court of Mahiliou, fined the activist of the
Belarusian Popular Front Siarzhuk Niahatsin 30 basic units for
distribution of the small-circulation newspaper "Tut i Tsiaper".
She stated that Niahatsin needed to conclude a special distribution
agreement with the newspaper's editorial board. However, there is no
need to conclude such agreements with the editorial boards of the
periodicals whose circulation is less than 300 copies – such
editions can operate without the state registration.
On 20
April in Vitsebsk the police detained the distributor of the
newspaper "Nash Dom Info" Siarhei Soupel near house #37 in
Chkalau Street. He was guarded to Pershamaiski District Police
Department and kept there for more than three hours. The activist was
charged with violation of part 2 of Article 29.9 of the Code of
Administrative Offenses, "illegal distribution of printed media
in Belarus."
On 25 April police officers tried to prevent
Russian journalists from meeting with the mother of the executed
death convict Uladzislau Kavaliou. They intended to come to her
apartment. Liubou Kavaliova was proposed to give an interview for the
TV program "Man and Law". But once the crew got out of the
taxi, they were confronted by riot police. Liubou Kavaliova saw it
from her window and went out to "liberate" her guests. The
journalists let go, but their passport data were put down.
On
27 April the police detained the local activists of the BPF Party and
the movement "For Freedom" Siarhei Trafimchyk and Vitold
Ashurka. The detainees were taken to the police station where 800
copies of the officially registered newspaper "Novy chas"
were confiscated from them. A confiscation report was drawn up. On 28
April policemen came to Siarhei Trafimchyk's apartment with a warrant
for its examination. Mr. Trafimchyk was absent from home at that
time. No printing equipment was found as a result.
Restrictions
on freedom of assembly
On 2 April Homel human rights
defenders Anatol Paplauny and Leanid Sudalenka received information
from the UN Human Rights Committee concerning the registration of
their joint complaint against the refusal of the Homel City Executive
Committee to authorize a picket dated to the Day of Human Rights in
2010. All appeals against the refusal at the national level gave no
results: the district court took the side of the executive committee,
the regional court and the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the
district court.
As it became known on 6 April, Minsk City
Executive Committee refused to authorize a picket of gay activists
"Day of silence: we keep silent to be heard", planned on 9
April. The applicants wanted to hold their action on the territory
adjacent to houses #8 and #10 in Mayakouski Street, at the distance
of more than 50 meters from stops of the public transport. According
to the answer of the Minsk City Executive Committee, the reason for
the refusal was the creation of obstacles to the movement of
pedestrians and traffic along Mayakouski Street and the functioning
of the organizations whose offices were located near the action
site.
On 9 April civil activist Ryhor Hryk received a letter,
signed by the head of Baranavichy City Executive Committee Dz.
Kastsiukevich, concerning the prohibition of the picket which he
planned to hold on in the old city park on 15 April on order to
express moral support to dissidents and people convicted in
connection with post-election protests on 19 December 2010.
On
17 April Homel activist Zinaida Shumilina received information from
the UN Human Rights Committee confirming the registration of her
complaint concerning the prohibition of the series of pickets she
intended to hold on 23 February 2011 to support the convicted
presidential candidates and members of their electoral headquarters.
The city authorities didn't authorize any of the 16 pickets. The
district court sided with the executive committee. The regional and
the Supreme Court upheld the verdicts of the district court. This was
the129th complaint of Belarusian citizens, registered by
this influential international institution.
On 23 April police
officers started paying visits to organizers of a picket dated to the
anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy. The activists intended to hold
the action in Zhyliber Park in Hrodna on 26 April. The police
officers warned the organizers about administrative liability for
holding unauthorized mass events, though the activists hadn’t
received an official ban from the authorities. The application for
the authorization of the picket was signed by the head of Hrodna city
organization of the United Civil Party Aliaksandra Vasilevich and the
head of Kastrychnitski district UCP organization, Dzmitry Audzeichyk.
Slonim District Executive Committee twice prohibited members
of Slonim democratic society to hold a picket dedicated to the
Chernobyl accident on 26 April.
On 23 April Vitsebsk
prohibitions to hold three pickets on the anniversary of the
Chernobyl tragedy were received by a member of the
Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front, Vitsebsk
resident Yan Dziarzhautsau, from district executive committees of
Vitsebsk.
On 26 April the traditional action of the
democratic opposition "Chernobyl Way" was held in Minsk.
The mass event was authorized by Minsk City Executive Committee in
the form of a meeting and a procession. Despite the peaceful nature
of the action, some demonstrators started snatching out rainbow flags
from LGBT activists. This was a local clash, which wasn't noticed by
the majority of the action participants. HRC "Viasna"
called participants of mass events to refrain from any violent
actions.
On 26 April a rally against the killing of animals
was banned in Brest. The organizers of the event intended to hand out
leaflets in support of the action against the killing of homeless
animals " Fair Play" which is going on in neighboring
Ukraine. Brest animal welfare advocates decided to support this
action by distributing leaflets in Pushkinskaya Street in the center
of Brest on 28 April. However, the deputy head of Brest City
Executive Committee Viachaslau Khafizau didn't authorize the action.
On 27 April the head of the Belarusian Independent Trade
Union Mikalai Zimin and the head of the trade union organization at
the "Granite" enterprise in Mikashevichy, Aleh
Stakhayevich, received a ban on holding the May Day action in
Mikashevichy, whose aim was to express support to activists of the
independent trade union at "Granite". The official reason
for the ban is that some sports contests were to take place at the
action site at the specified time.
On 30 April, Orsha city
organization of the Belarusian Leftist Party "Fair World"
received waivers to hold two mass rallies on 1 May against rising
prices and worsening socio-economic status of citizens. The
organizers intended to hold pickets in the places which were
officially determined for such actions by the executive committee.
May Day rally was not authorized in Brest either. On 27 April
an appropriate decision of the city authorities was received by the
head of Hanna Kanius, the head of Brest city organization of the
Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) and Liudmila Dzenisenka,
the head of the "Fair World". The authorities explained the
ban by the fact that the route of the action included places which
were less than 50 meters away from administrative buildings.