The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News on the topic: amnesty

08.07.2009 Belarus is more liberal than ever: political prisoners still exist, while Nazis are amnestied

A leaders of Homel structure of the Russian National Unity (RNU) in Homel Andrei Nestsiarovich returned to his native city after two years on the run.

12.06.2009 Participant of ‘process of 14’ Mikhail Pashkevich amnestied

The leader of Young Democrats was familiarized with the order of the prosecutor of Biaroza district saying he was included in the amnesty.

01.06.2009 Kurapaty vandals are amnestied

As said to the BelaPAN by the investigator of Minsk district police department Siarhei Bulko, on 30 May two Minsk dwellers, who were charged with destruction of the memorial crosses to Stalinism victims in Kurapaty forest near Minsk were amnestied.

27.05.2009 Zeltser still in prison. Authorities dragging out his amnesty

Belarusian courts say they don’t have claims to American national Emanuel Zeltser serving a term in a Belarusian prison.

A notice from the Belarusian court has been sent to the penal colony this week, and lawyer Zmitser Harachka expected the commission to consider documents on amnesty of the US national in a week.

“The amnesty is used within six months. In our case the problem is that we need a no claim certificate from the court. The certificate has been sent to the colony this week. The Belarusian court confirmed the state and individuals do not have any claims to Zeltser. The commission has sessions every Wednesday. We don’t have time to present our documents this Wednesday, so a question on amnesty will be considered next week,” lawyer Zmitser Harachka told “Belorusski Partizan”.

06.05.2009 Lukashenka signed the law on amnesty

The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenka signed the law On amnesty in connection with the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from German Nazi invaders.

28.05.2008 Amnesty International Report 2008, state of the world human rights (Belarus' section)

The clampdown on civil society by the government continued. Any form of public activity not sanctioned by the state, including religious worship, was liable to prosecution and rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly were disregarded. Opposition activists were given long prison sentences for the peaceful expression of their views, or activists were harassed and prosecuted under the administrative code for lesser offences and fined or detained for short periods. Human rights and opposition organizations faced considerable difficulties in registering and activists were prosecuted for acting in the name of unregistered organizations. Belarus remained the only country in Europe still executing prisoners.

04.04.2008 Amnesty International: Demonstrators beaten during Freedom Day march

Amnesty International condemns the reportedly excessive use of force by Belarusian security forces against demonstrators who had gathered in the capital, Minsk, on 25 March 2008. Up to two thousand people had gathered in a square in the centre of the city to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the short-lived independence of Belarus in 1918, which is now referred to by the political opposition as Freedom Day. The authorities had not sanctioned the demonstration and President Alexander Lukashenka’s government had vowed to prevent any public action to mark the occasion.

12.03.2008 Faces for Amnesty – Freedom for Prisoners of Conscience In Belarus!

The German branch of the international human rights organization Amnesty International decided to hold an action for release of the political prisoner Aliaksandr Kazulin. Here’s the text of the press-release concerning the action.

14.01.2008 2 Months after Amnesty: Only 250 Prisoners Released

Almost two months have passed since the Belarusian authorities declared the latest amnesty. According to the MIA calculations, 3 512 persons fell under the action of the amnesty. The basic condition for dismissal from prison was compensation of the financial damage to victims or the state by 24 April. However, according to the chair of the punishment execution department Yury Barynkou only 250 of them have been released so far, mostly those who have compensated the damage.