The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News on the topic: political persecution

10.03.2011 Court refuses to reinstate teacher Natallia Illinich at work

Sviatlana Akulich, Judge of the Pukhavichy District Court, agreed that the dismissal of a teacher of history Natalia Ilyinich was lawful.

04.03.2011 Dzmitry Bandarenka interrogated at KGB for first time in two months

Since 29 December, the lawyer has been denied meetings with his defendant, Andrei Sannikou’s affiliate Dzmitry Bandarenka.

14.02.2011 Sleep deprivation torture in Valadarski Street jail

Cell #69 houses 13 persons, whereas usually 22-24 inmates are kept there at once. As a result, they have to sleep in turn. However, the people who get in the cell aren't included in the 'sleeping queue' for the first two days.

14.02.2011 Endless interrogations

On 14 February an investigator of the military counter-intelligence phoned to a human rights activist Nasta Loika. He refused to introduce himself and said that he could show his ID during their meeting. He tried to invite her for a 'talk'. However, Nasta answered that she refused to come to him without receiving an official writ. After this the investigator tried to specify her address, she asked that the investigation had all possibilities to find it on their own. After this the counter-intelligence officer promised to soon her a writ soon.

10.02.2011 KGB officers pay interests to duty documents of lawyer Aleh Aheyeu

At about 11 a.m. on 10 February KGB officers paid a visit to the legal consultation of Aleh Aheyeu, the attorney of the presidential candidate Aliaksei Mikhalevich. they presented an order signed by the Minsk and Minsk Region KGB Department and started looking though the documents that concerned the professional activities of the lawyer. They refused to tell the lawyer within the limits of which process activities the check-up of his documents was conducted and soon went away.

08.02.2011 Dzmitry Uss is forced to testify against Mikalai Statkevich

On 4 February the former presidential candidate Dzmitry Uss was summonsed for the fourth interrogation within the framework of the ‘mass riot’ criminal case.

08.02.2011 Interrogations continue

On 7 February the presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu was taken to KGB from his house (where he is kept under home arrest). He was interrogated for about an hour. His attorney, Tamara Sidarenka, refused to tell any details because the lawyers of figurants of the 'mass riot' case gave written undertakings not to disclose the information related to the case.

03.02.2011 Authorities try to identify all participants of 19 December protest action

Andrei Mikalayeu, who is involved in a criminal case initiated by the KGB after the events on 19 December, has been called to the military counter-intelligence office.

02.02.2011 Dzmitry Drozd becomes a suspect in 'mass riot' case

At about 7 a.m. on 1 February law-enforcement officers entered the apartment of Dzmitry Drozd, a member of the electoral team of Andrei Sannikau, and took him for an interrogation at the Tsentralny District Police Department of Minsk.

02.02.2011 Young Front activist Nasta Palazhanka is left in custody

On 2 February the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk considered the complaint of Nasta's attorney against the restraint to her. According to Palazhanka's father, the court turned the complaint down and ruled that she should be kept in the investigative isolator of KGB.

02.02.2011 Hrodna: students are expelled for participation in post-election protest action

The administration of Hrodna State University started expelling students who had taken part in the protest action of 19 December in Minsk. The first victim became Barys Zakharchuk, a student of the physical-technical faculty.

01.02.2011 Pavel Seviarynets’ mother collects facts of lawlessness to apply to international structures

Tatsiana Seviarynets, the mother of a KGB prisoner Pavel Seviarynets, has to file complains against actions of workers of the investigative isolator of the KGB and against actions of officers of the procuracy in order to get answers to her concrete questions.

01.02.2011 Dashkevich is 'proposed' to testify against other Young Front activists

In one of his last letters to Nasta Loika Zmitser Dashkevich wrote about receiving such a proposal during his second interrogation concerning the events of 19 December for the time of his stay at the investigative isolator of the Zhodzina prison. The activist also complains that the guards refused to allow passing him a Bible in the Belarusian language and that he faced obstacles to sending letters.

01.02.2011 Russian citizen Artyom Breus is left in custody

The Belarusain law machinery refused to change the restraint to the Russian citizen Artyom Breus, arrested in connection with the criminal case concerning the 'mass riot' in Minsk on 19 December. This information was distributed by RIA Novosti with reference to a representative of the Russian Embassy, Vadim Gusev.