News on the topic: Viasna
03.05.2010 Public statement by Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’ concerning search at Zmitser Salauyou’s office in Navapolatsk
On 30 April the police searched the private office of the human rights defender Zmitser Salauyou in Navapolatsk. The search was sanctioned by the town procurator, Anatol Ausiuk, and V.Karenski, Chair of the operative crime detection activities section of the investigation department of the Navapolatsk Town Police Department, within the frames of the criminal case instigated under Article 341 of the Criminal Code – ‘Defilement of buildings and destruction of property’ on the fact of inscriptions with swastikas on walls of different houses of the town. Computer system units, CDs, many printed editions and white-red-flags were confiscated as a result of the search.
03.05.2010 Another registration attempt by ‘Berastseiskaya Viasna’
The human rights NGO Berastseiskaya Viasna makes another attempt to get registered with the state. A constituent assembly took place in Brest, at which representatives from all districts of the Brest region were present. The first registration attempt took place in 2004. However, the NGO was denied registration, as well as during the next four attempts.
14.04.2010 Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski elected Vice-President of International Federation for Human Rights again
On 6-8 April the 37th Congress of the International Forum for Human Rights of the FIDH (the International Federation for Human Rights) took place in Yerevan, Armeniya. About 300 delegates came there from different parts of the world, including the Belarusian human rights defenders Ales Bialiatski and Valiantsin Stefanovich.
26.03.2010 European HR organizations condemn detention of Viasna activists
Civil Rights Defenders (Sweden), Belarusian Human Rights House (Lithuania), Human Rights House Foundation (Norway) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee condemn the detention of three activists of the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’. "They were supposed to have applied for permission to assembly, but since the organisation they represent has been denied official registration several times, the application would not have been granted. In practice their right to assembly is severely restricted" says AneTusvik Bonde, Regional Manager at the Human Rights House Foundation.
24.03.2010 Human rights activists fined
Today, on 24 March Minsk Leninski Court convicted Viasna’s activists Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich and Iryna Toustsik of violating Article 23.34 of the Civil Code (violation of public event procedures) while staging a picket of protest against the recent execution of death penalties on 23 March in outside the Presidential Administration building in Minsk and fined them BYR 17,500 each.
23.03.2010 Viasna’s activists detained
Four members of the Human Rights Center Viasna Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Iryna Toustsik and Siarhei Sys were detained by the police while staging a picket against the execution of Andrei Zhuk and Vasil Yuzepchuk in front of the Presidential Administration building in Minsk.
06.03.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Elections are always accompanied with repressions and harassment in Belarus
Recently the authorities have increased the pressurization of representatives of the democratic community and member of their initiative groups on all levels.
03.03.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Human rights defenders welcome the participation of official representatives of Belarus in the 4th World Congress Against Death Penalty
The 4th World Congress against the Death Penalty took place in Geneva at the end of February. More than 1 500 lawyers, representatives of human rights organizations, well-known civil and political activists from almost 100 countries took part in the work of this forum.
23.02.2010 Ales Bialiatski: ‘The practice of torture, violence, false evidence fabricated by police officers is part of daily life’
Mass detentions and arrests of representatives of the unrecognized Union of Poles, a nervous attitude of the police to the work of journalists, trials and allegations of disorderly conduct against civil and political activists – all this has its specific reasons, which the authorities try to cover up with demagogic statements on rights and freedoms. These are the reasons named by the vice-president of the International Federation of Human Rights, Chairman of the Human Rights Center Viasna Ales Bialiatski in an interview with our correspondent.
11.02.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: We call on the Belarusian Governmental to cooperate with the UN as actively as we do
On 11 February, human rights defenders presented their report on the procedure of the Universal Periodical Review of Belarus in the UN Human Rights Committee.
02.02.2010 Elections 2010 – still following the old scenario
The atmosphere of fear and disappointed hopes on democratic effect of the amendment of the electoral legislation – this is the evaluation given by human rights defenders to the beginning of the campaign on elections to the local Soviets of 26th Convocation.
12.01.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Human rights defenders deny hooliganism in actions of Siarhei Kavalenka
Representatives of the Human Rights Center Viasna blankly disagree with bringing a criminal case against Siarhei Kavalenka and consider it to be politically motivated persecution.
12.01.2010 Human Rights Center Viasna demands that criminal case against Ivan Mikhailau be dropped
The civil right to alternative service ensues from Article 57 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. This article provides that the defense of the Republic of Belarus is a sacred duty of a Belarusian citizen. The order of the military service, the reasons and the conditions of its replacement with alternative service are determined by the law.
08.12.2009 Delegation of human rights defenders in Geneva
The head of the Human Rights Center Viasna Ales Bialiatski, the deputy head of Viasna Valiantsin Stefanovich and the head of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak have come to Zheneva within the frames of preparation to presentation at the UN Human Rights Council of the Universal Periodical Report on Belarus.
07.12.2009 Statement by the Human Rights Center Viasna concerning the kidnapping of civil activists
The Human Rights Center Viasna would like to express its deep concern over the purposeful kidnappings of youth activists by representatives of security and law enforcement agencies. Over the past year, a number of leaders and activists of Belarusian youth organizations and movements, including Artur Finkevich, Nasta Palazhanka, Dzianis Karnou, Uladzimir Lemesh, Zmitser Dashkevich and Yauhen Afnahel, have been repeatedly kidnapped by representatives of security and law enforcement agencies.
