The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

04.04.2008 ‘Trial of 14’ to start 16 April

16 April at 10 a.m. the Tsentralny district court of Minsk (Kirau Street 21) will try the ‘criminal case of 14’. http://nn.by was informed about it by Andrei Kim’s lawyer Tamara Sidarenka.

04.04.2008 Police keeping duty outside A.Bondar’s apartment

4 April, at 7 a.m., the police called to the apartment of an activist of the underground organization Initiative. They demanded that the relatives opened the door as they needed to guard Aliaksei Bondar to the prosecutor’s office. The relatives refused to do it and said that the activist was not there. Now two persons in plain clothes are keeping duty near the apartment door.

04.04.2008 Zhaleznichenka to serve in the army without oath

Zmitser Zhaleznichenka, expelled from Homel University after participation in oppositional movement became known, continues doing his military service, and as before refuses to take the oath for service.

02.04.2008 KGB blackmails students

KGB workers visited some of the persons who were arrested on 25 March 2008 for participation in the peaceful rally dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic.

01.04.2008 Two criminal cases against Andrei Kim merged into one

On 1 April, at 2 p.m. the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk started trying the criminal case against the youth activist Andrei Kim. The trial was attended by Liavon Barshcheuski, Ales Bialiatski, Alena Ilyina, Aliaksandr Milinkevich, Mikola Statkevich, Vintsuk Viachorka and representatives of foreign embassies.

01.04.2008 Amnesty International condemns beatings at Freedom Day celebration

The international human rights organization has issued an official note concerning the events of 25 March in Minsk.

01.04.2008 Riot police disperse action in support of political prisoner Andrei Kim

Riot policemen force away people from the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk, where the trial over Andrei Kim is taking place.

01.04.2008 Shklou: Alexander Fiodarau sentenced to 5 years of jail

On 1 April the judge of Shklou district court Alexander Tarakanau read a sentence on the criminal case against Alexander Fiodarau, boilermaker of the local municipal service.

01.04.2008 Case of political prisoner Siarhei Parsiukevich taken to court

The case of one of the leaders of entrepreneurs from Vitsebsk, a political prisoner Siarhei Parsiukevich, has been sent for trial to the court of Maskouski district of Minsk by the prosecutor’s office.

14.03.2008 Siarhei Parsiukevich Gets Official Charges

The leader of Vitsebsk entrepreneurs, political prisoner Siarhei Parsiukevich has been officially accused by the prosecutor’s office on violation of Article 364 (‘violence or a threat of violence against a policeman’) of the Criminal Code of Belarus.

13.03.2008 Pavel Nazdra Demands Prosecutor’s Check up

On 13 March Pavel Nazdra, member of the organizing committee for the establishment of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party addressed the prosecutor’s office with the request to conduct a check-up on violations of the labor legislation by his employer.

13.03.2008 State Department Store Demands 28 Million Rubles from Participants of Entrepreneurs’ Protest Action

HUM department store in Minsk has raised a 28-million invoice for participants of the entrepreneurs’ rally on 10 January, an activist of the United Civil Party Mikhail Pashkevich said to Nasha Niva.

13.03.2008 Authorities Demand 125 Million Rubles from Participants of Entrepreneurs’ Action

The Young Front activist Uladzimir Siarheyeu, accused of organization of the protest rally of entrepreneurs, was invited to come to the investigation department of Minsk city executive committee for familiarization with the materials of the criminal case on 14 March.

12.03.2008 Sum of Absurd Claims to European March Organizers Reaches 10 Million Rubles

Yesterday Savetski district court of Minsk continued the hearings on the suit of the Horremautador state enterprise against the organizers of the European March action which took place on 14 October 2007. The enterprise demands from the defendants Yauhen Afnahel, Zmitser Fedaruk, Viktar Ivashkevich, Anatol Liabedzka, Aliaksandr Milinkevich and Viktar Viachorka 2 135 974 rubles (about 993 US dollars) for additional expenditures on cleaning the streets and removal of litter.