News on the topic: Amnesty International
16.01.2021 Amnesty International: Leaked audio allegedly exposing top Interior Minister official ordering use of illegal force against peaceful protesters must be effectively investigated
Of the string of incriminating leaks showing that Belarusian authorities crushed peaceful protest through pre-meditated human rights violations, this recording – if authentic – is the most damning. It must be immediately, impartially and effectively investigated.
17.12.2020 Amnesty International: Witness in police killing of protester faces life sentence
Belarusian authorities are attempting to cover up the killing of a peaceful protester by police by bringing serious criminal charges against a key witness, Amnesty International said.
15.12.2020 Amnesty International: Tortured detainee denied medical care
Viachaslau Rahashchuk is a taxi driver from the Belarusian city of Pinsk who was arbitrarily detained in 10 August and remains behind bars. He is in need of urgent medical treatment due to injuries he sustained from being tortured while in detention.
25.11.2020 Amnesty International: Whistle-blower doctor and journalist who exposed disinformation are prisoners of conscience
The authorities in Belarus have arrested and opened criminal proceedings against medical doctor Artsyom Sarokin and journalist Katsyaryna Barysevich who published information about the recent death of a peaceful protester, and exposed what appears to be an official cover-up of his killing. They are both prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the exercise of their right to freedom of expression, and must be immediately and unconditionally released and the criminal proceedings against them ended.
14.11.2020 Amnesty International: Authorities in Belarus continue to rule by terror
The authorities in Belarus continue to rule by terror, targeting dissenting voices with violence and imprisonment. They must immediately launch a prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigation into Raman Bandarenka’s killing and bring the perpetrators to account in fair trials. Instead, the authorities are trying to deflect responsibility by alleging that Raman Bandarenka was beaten by ‘concerned citizens.’
10.11.2020 Amnesty International: Arrest of over 1,000 protesters "takes the human rights crisis in Belarus to a new level"
More than 1,000 people arrested in a single day of peaceful protests amid escalating repression of rights
04.11.2020 Amnesty International condemns Belarus's decision to unleash mass criminal proceedings against hundreds of peaceful protesters
The Belarusian authorities clearly fear freedom of peaceful assembly in the country, and are now criminalizing it wholesale, by attempting to prosecute 231 detained protesters in one single case.
28.10.2020 Global movement calls on authorities to stop crackdown on peaceful protest
Amnesty International has informed the Belarusian authorities that the organization has collected about 191,000 signatures from supporters calling for an end to the crackdown on peaceful protests and accountability for police abuses. The petition was launched ahead of Belarus’s 9 August presidential election amid mounting violations against protesters.
25.09.2020 Urgent action by Amnesty International: Release human rights defender Marfa Rabkova
Woman human rights defender Marfa Rabkova was detained as a criminal suspect under false pretext on the evening of 17 September, by officers of the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBAZIK). Her husband Vadzim Zharomski was also detained but released shortly after. Marfa Rabkova may face criminal charges. She is a prisoner of conscience, targeted solely for her peaceful human rights work and must be immediately and unconditionally released.
24.09.2020 Amnesty International calls to release prisoner of conscience Maryia Kalesnikava
Belarusian authorities abducted opposition leader Maryia Kalesnikava on 7 September. After she resisted expulsion from Belarus she was detained and, on 16 September, charged with “undermining national security”. The authorities are rushing her prosecution to make it a precedent and serve as a warning to all peaceful protesters, for whom she has become a symbol of resistance, dignity and courage. Maryia Kalesnikava is a prisoner of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.
18.09.2020 Amnesty International: Marfa Rabkova and all prisoners of conscience must be immediately and unconditionally released
The Belarusian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender, Marfa Rabkova, and all those detained as criminal suspects on false charges and solely for exercising their human rights. They must also stop immediately the practice of arbitrary arrest and unlawful deprivation of freedom and holding detainees incommunicado for hours and even days – a practice which they have been widely using against their opponents in recent weeks.
18.09.2020 Amnesty International: UN Human Rights Council must take strong action on escalating human rights crisis in the country
In response to the escalating human rights crisis in Belarus, Amnesty International will address the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on 18 September and demand that it takes strong and decisive action to investigate the ongoing repression of post-election protests in the country and hold perpetrators of mass violations to account.
11.09.2020 “They are stealing the best of us”. Arbitrary arrests and forced expulsion of leading opposition activists
Belarusian authorities have stepped up their campaign against the leaders of peaceful protest in Belarus which has been ongoing after the contested result of the presidential election in August. The authorities promptly responded to popular dissent by mass arrests of peaceful street protesters, and subsequent torture or other ill-treatment while they were in custody.
08.09.2020 Amnesty International: Authorities subject opposition leader Maryia Kalesnikava to abduction-style arrest
Belarusian authorities must immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of opposition leader Maryia Kalesnikava and release her without delay, Amnesty International said today. According to eyewitnesses, Maryia Kalesnikava was abducted by masked men in Minsk on Monday morning, contradicting the Belarusian authorities’ claim that she was detained at the border with Ukraine.
31.08.2020 Amnesty International: Police must be held accountable for violence
Amnesty International calls on the Belarusian authorities to immediately end police violence and to investigate the gross human rights violations committed during the last three weeks, as peaceful protests against police brutality and the rule of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka grow.
