News on the topic: Viasna
25.01.2011 General Prosecutor’s Office misinforms Belarusian citizens and international community
The persons in custody at the KGB pre-trial prison are provided with access to legal protection and visits by their relatives, says Belarusian General Prosecutor’s Office spokesman in an interview with the BelaPAN news agency. However, according to information of the Human Rights center “Viasna”, the statement of the prosecuting authorities is not true.
20.01.2011 HR activist Paluda questioned by KGB
On 19 January, human rights defender Andrei Paluda was summoned to the KGB Shklou district department. The secret service officers inquired about the activist’s possible involvement in illegal street rallies and his relations with Viasna’s chair Ales Bialiatski.
20.01.2011 Evaluation of Events Related to the Presidential Election: Position of the Human Rights Center "Viasna"
The Human Rights Centre "Viasna", as one of the participants of the national monitoring mission “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”, cannot but mention some improvements at separate stages of the campaign, but in general, believes the 2010 presidential election fell short of a number of key international standards for democratic elections. The Election of the President of the Republic of Belarus has neither been recognized as free nor democratic by the OSCE / ODIHR international election observation mission. Since 1996, no Belarusian election campaigns, including presidential ones of 2001 and 2006, have been recognized by OSCE as compliant with international standards for free and democratic elections.
18.01.2011 Viasna’s office raided again
Yesterday, on 17 January Belarusian KGB searched the central office of the Human Rights Center Viasna, as well as the private apartment and the country house of Ales Bialiatski. The searches were said to be conducted in the framework of the 19 December mass riot criminal case. It was a second search in Viasna’s office, following another one on 20 December.
25.12.2010 Police and KGB raid appartments of HR activists
At 12.40 this afternoon, Belarusian law-enforcement agencies broke into the private appartment of Tatsiana Reviaka, activist of the Human Rights Center "Viasna". The appartment is currently being searched. Earlier this morning, the KGB searched the private appartments of human rights defenders Aliaksei Kaputski and Aleh Vouchak.
25.11.2010 Viasna’s statement on detention conditions of businessman Bandarenka
Member of the National Committee of the United Civic Party, candidate for Parliament during the 2008 election Andrei Bandarenka is serving a sentence in Babruisk penal colony, where he has been repeatedly subject to harassment by the colony’s administration, including repeated ungrounded incarceration, disciplinary sanctions, refusals of medical aid.
05.11.2010 Precinct election commissions: ‘discrimination coefficient’ remains the same
On 5
November the civil campaign Human Rights
Defenders for Free Elections held a press-conference on the results of the
formation of precinct election commissions. The results that were announced by
the Chairperson of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak and the lawyer
of the Human Rights Center Viasna Valiantsin
Stefanovich are quite disappointing for those who expect some democratization
of the election process. It was stated that representatives of opposition
structures weren’t included in the commissions five times more often than
representatives of the organizations that are loyal to the present authorities.
‘The coefficient of discrimination’, as Mr. Hulak called it, remains the same
in comparison to the previous election.
20.07.2010 Ales Bialiatski became honorary citizen of Genoa
The municipality of the Italian city of Genoa granted the status of honorary citizen to Ales Bialiatski, Chairperson of the Human Rights Center Viasna. The Italian society expressed thereby its concern with the situation of human rights in Belarus, particularly the use of the death penalty, restriction of the freedom of the media and civil and political rights.
21.06.2010 FIDH and Viasna urge Belarusian authorities to promptly render medical aid to Atukhovich
The FIDH and the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’ have learned about the start of an open-ended hunger-strike by the imprisoned Mikalai Autukhovich after he was refused medical aid by the administration of Minsk’s detention center #1.
10.06.2010 Ales Bialiatski takes part in OSCE conference in Copenhagen
The OSCE conference on the occsaion of the 20th anniversary of signing of the Copenhagen Document takes place in Copenhagen on 10-11 June. Ales Bialiatski, Chairperson of the Human Rights Center Viasna and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), was invited there to represent Belarusian NGOs. An official delegation from Belarus takes part in the conference as well.
10.06.2010 Counsel Hrabouski: verdict to Yakavenka was copied from prosecutor's ruling
On 9 June, lawyer Yauhen Hrabouski familiarized with a copy of the verdict to his client, conscientious objector Yauhen Yakavenka, who has been recently punished by the Tsentralny District Court of Homel with 1 year of personal restraint with direction to an open penitentiary institution.
31.05.2010 Joint Statement by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member-organization in Belarus Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’ express deep concern about the wave of new repressive actions (searches, interrogations and arrests) in respect of civil society activists, human rights activists, independent journalists and political opponents as well as in connection with the general deterioration of human rights situation in the country.
17.05.2010 Violent dispersal and detentions of participants of Gay Pride in Minsk are violation of right to freedom of peaceful assembly and manifestation of discrimination
Statement by the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’ On 15 May 2010, representatives of the Interior Ministry violently dispersed a peaceful demonstration of LGBT community activists. The Minsk city authorities banned the event due to a formal reason and failed to provide an opportunity to hold the demonstration in a different place, which would suit both sides.
13.05.2010 Belarusian NGOs and international community discuss the situation of human rights in Belarus
Representatives of the Belarusian NGOs held a number of events on 12 May in Geneva that were connected with the report of the Belarusian authorities within the guidelines of the procedure of the Universal Periodical Review at the UN Human Rights Council.
09.05.2010 Statement of Human Rights Defenders on Autukhovich's case
On 6 May 2010, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus issued a verdict on the criminal case against Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimir Asipenka, Mikhail Kazlou and Aliaksandr Laryn.
