09.10.2009 Complaint about violation of death convict Vasil Yuzepchuk’s rights submitted to UN Human Rights Committee

On 9 October, on the eve of the World Day against the Death Penalty, the UN Human Rights Committee confirmed receiving the individual address of Vasil Yuzepchuk, who on 28 June 2009 was sentenced by Brest oblast court to death with property confiscation.

08.10.2009 Amnesty International calls on Alexander Lukashenka to grant clemency to Vasil Yuzepchuk

Amnesty International has urged the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenka to grant clemency to a man who may be facing imminent execution.

29.09.2009 Reporters Without Borders call on Belarusian authorities to stop obstructing work of journalists

Four days after a joint international press freedom mission to Belarus, Reporters Without Borders today called on the Belarusian government to stop obstructing the work of journalists working for foreign news media.

The press freedom organisation has signed a statement issued by the mission at the end of its five-day visit noting that: “Accreditation of journalists working for Belarus or foreign media, as well as the registration of offices of media, are restricted by non-transparent and discriminatory decisions of the authorities.”

28.09.2009 Statement by International Mission to the Republic of Belarus

A group of international media and press freedom organisations today called upon the Belarus authorities to bring the country’s media environment into accordance with international standards, following the visit of a joint delegation to Minsk from 20 to 24 September 2009.

The group welcomes recent changes and recognises that pressure on media and journalists has eased. However, this must be translated into a lasting commitment to ensure the rights of journalists and to undertake much needed reforms of the media environment. Such changes need to be far reaching and irreversible.

24.09.2009 FIDH issues report on Viasna's registration trial

The International Federation for Human Rights has issued a report based on the organization's observation in the case of Human Rights Association Nasha Viasna versus the Ministry of Justice that was considered by the Supreme Court on 10-12 August 2009.

24.09.2009 Experts on freedom of speech didn’t believe Pyatkevich

The international journalistic mission has a negative general impression of its visit to Belarus.

The international experts will make an official statement later, “”Yezhednevnik” reports.

Though representatives of international organizations dealing with mass media and freedom of press issues have repeatedly emphasized the aim of the visit wasn’t proving the Belarusians necessity of democratic reforms, but just lending support to national media, the guests have a negative general impression.

It especially concerns meetings with Belarusian officials. European director of the International Federation of Journalists Marc Gruber said telling about the meeting with first deputy head of Lukashenka’s Administration Natallya Pyatkevich they had failed to understand each other.

23.09.2009 Amnesty International addresses Lukashenka on Viasna's case

Amnesty International has written to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus to express its concern that the human rights organization, Nasha Vyasna (Our Spring), formerly known as Vyasna, has been denied registration by the Belarusian authorities for the third time. On 12 August 2009 the Supreme Court of Belarus upheld a decision taken by the Ministry of Justice on 28 May to refuse registration to Nasha Vyasna.

23.09.2009 US condemn human rights violations in Belarus

The United States are still deeply concerned by violations in Belarus.

It has been stated by the US representative Douglas Griffin at the session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

As said by the diplomat, Belarus is among the countries which cause highest concern in connection with crackdown on peaceful protests, threats to activities of human rights activists and oppositionists, oppression of minorities, alongside with Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Russia and Sri Lanka, the website of “European Belarus” informs.

22.09.2009 Foreign human rights activist refused Belarusian visa

Joanna Kurocz, member of the Civil Rights Defenders international organization, has not been allowed to receive a Belarusian visa, say representatives of an international journalists’ mission, currently on a visit to Belarus. During their stay in Minsk, the journalists have had a number of meetings with representatives of Belarusian mass media, both independent and state-owned ones. They were also invited to a meeting with Deputy Chair of the President’s Administration Natallia Piatkevich. The results of the visit will be reported during a final briefing at the International Education Center on 23 September.

17.09.2009 Swedish human rights activists: The world must remember victims of flagrant crimes in Belarus

Östgruppen human rights organization issued a statement on the tenth anniversary of disappearance of opponents of Lukashenka’s regime.

“Ten years ago, Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped and killed in the capital of Belarus. Officially, the guilty persons have not been found so far, but an independent investigation revealed: people from Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s inner circle are most likely responsible for the crimes,” the statement says.

01.09.2009 Well-known public figures address world leaders concerning unlawful imprisonment of Vaukavysk entrepreneurs

Well-known public and political activists of Belarus have addressed the world leaders with the request to foster the independent legal expertise of the criminal case that was brought against Mikalai Autukhovich, Yyry Liavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka. The text of the address was submitted to the heads of the EU countries, the EU president, the Swedish speaker Frederick Reifeldt, the president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the US president Barack Obama and the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

24.08.2009 Supreme Court ignores appeal by human rights activists

The Belarusian Human Rights House and the Human Rights House Foundation have received a reply to their appeal to the Supreme Court of Belarus. The official letter signed by Deputy Chair of the Supreme Court Valery Vyshkevich left the appeal without reply saying that the claimants ‘are not legally interested persons’ under the Civil Procedural Code of Belarus.

11.08.2009 Brest: action against death penalty

On 10 August in Brest members of Young Front held an action for the abolition of death penalty in Belarus. The activists held out leaflets of Amnesty International in Savetskaya Street in the center of the city.

04.08.2009 FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen refused in receiving Belarusian visa

Souhayr Belhassen, President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has been denied Belarusian entry visa in Belarusian consulate in Paris.

06.07.2009 Belarus defies Council of Europe call for a moratorium

The authorities in Belarus continue to ignore international pressure on them to declare a moratorium on the death penalty, Amnesty International and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, said today. The two organizations have just learnt that the Brest regional court sentenced a 30-year-old man to death on 29 June.

The sentence was pronounced less than a week after the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly voted on 23 June in favour of restoring the Special Guest status to the Parliament of Belarus on the condition that Belarus declares a moratorium on the execution of the death penalty.