21.12.2009 OSCE delegation discuss amendments to electoral code with opposition

On its two-day visit to Minsk, the OSCE delegation held a meeting with representatives of various pro-democratic forces of Belarus, including Anatol Liabedzka, Siarhei Kaliakin, Anatol Liaukovich, Yury Hubarevich, Vital Rymasheuski and Dzmitry Dashkevich.

15.12.2009 Belarusian authorities prepare decree on Internet limitations

Nasha Niva newspaper received a draft decree On measures for revising the use of the national segment of the World Wide Web.

10.12.2009 All persons liable for military service will be fingerprinted

‘Amendments to the law On state dactylographic registration envisages spreading the obligatory fingerprinting on all those who are liable for the army service,’ stated the Interior Minister Anatoly Kuliashou, Interfax informs.

09.12.2009 A return to NKVD practice

On 8 December the national security commission of the Chamber of Representatives held an extended sitting for discussion of some amendments to the laws by the deputies and invited specialists.

07.12.2009 Office of Prosecutor General received wrong punishment

About 1 500 people were drawn to administrative responsibility in the wrong way. This is the official information of the General Prosecutor’s office for nine months of 2009.

02.12.2009 Valiantsin Stefanovich: ‘No referendum is needed for the abolition of the death penalty, the legislation needs to be amended instead’

‘Legally, no referendum is needed for the abolition of the death penalty,’ says human rights activist and Viasna’s lawyer Valiantsin Stefanovich, commenting President Lukashenka’s recent statement in an interview with the La Stampa newspaper. Lukashenka said that the use of the death penalty is based on the results of the 1996 referendum and that, ‘under the Constitution, only another referendum can reverse its results.’

02.12.2009 Revocation of Article 193-1 still open-ended

Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code may be decriminalized in the near future, says Mr. Huminski, head of the Standing Commission for National Security of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, in reply to a complaint by Brest human rights lawyer Uladzimir Malei.

16.11.2009 Santa Clauses received answer from Office of Prosecutor General

The General Prosecutor’s Office found the activities of Santa Clauses on New Year’s Eve illegal. The group of Santa Clauses will be brought to responsibility if it will be established that they take systematic part in an unregistered organization, says the letter of the General Prosecutor’s Office.

16.11.2009 Ales Bialiatski: ‘There ten times more NGOs in Armenia than in Belarus’

According to information of the BelaPAN Aleh Slizheuski, head of the civil associations board of the Ministry of Justice, stated that there was prepared a draft law that would decrease the legal terms for consideration of the documents submitted for NGOs for obtaining the state registration (at present the legal term is one month). The official also stated that the procedure of registration would be simplified.

16.11.2009 Kobryn: district court refuses to consider Aliaksandr Mekh’s complaint against unlawful detention

Alaksandr Mekh, the head of the BPF branch in Kobryn, got an answer from the district court over his arrest at the Dazhynki harvest festival.

06.11.2009 Believer fined for defending his right to alternative army service

A believer from Jehovah's Witnesses community has been punished by a huge fine for demanding the realization of his right to alternative military service.

05.11.2009 Innocent man spend 14 months in jail because of ‘judicial negligence’

The state has to pay a compensation to Leanid Tarasenka who was sentenced to five years of jail being innocent. In addition, at present the prosecutor’s office can start legal proceedings against the policeman who had brought the criminal case against the victim.

04.11.2009 Valiantsin Sukala refused to discuss judicial runarounds with women’s initiative for the fifth time

On 2 November the head of the Supreme Court Valiantsin Sukala for the first time refused to discuss the problem of judicial runarounds with a group of women who disagreed with the court verdicts on civil and criminal cases against themselves or their relatives.

23.10.2009 Amendments to Electoral Code turn lipstick

On 20 October during a meeting with President Lukashenka, head of the Central Electoral Committee Mrs. Lidziya Yarmoshyna spoke on the changes to be introduced to the Belarusian electoral legislation. Political parties, whose member wants to run in the election, will not have to possess a regional office within the territory of the respective constituency. Besides, signature sheets will not have to be approved by local authorities before their submission to the Central Electoral Committee. Grounds for denying registration to a candidate will also be reviewed. Apart from that, voter turnout quota will be lifted in the upcoming local elections. However, the quota for presidential and parliamentary elections will be preserved.

24.09.2009 Belarusian regime afraid of independent courts

The authorities say they don’t plan to establish the jury institution in Belarus.

Valery Kalinkovich, the deputy head of the Supreme Court of Belarus, said this on September 24.

“The judicial system of Belarus is regularly reformed, but such innovations, as the jury court, are not planned,” Interfax quotes Valery Kalinkovich.

He also noted that the national modern judicial system meets all requirements of time and emphasized that “one must find something inefficient to start reforming”.

“We have never liked too many reforms,” Kalinkovich added.

The website www.charter97.org reminds that Alyaksandr Lukashenka defines power of the Constitutional Court of Belarus by his decrees (it is officially called accretion of power), appoints and dismisses judges. Many trials over Belarusian opposition activists are held behind closed doors. Journalists, Belarusian and foreign human rights activists are not allowed to attend many trials.

Participants of a peaceful rally “No to Russian Occupation!” have recently stood closed political trials in Minsk. 17 opposition activists were detained and beaten up by militia.