The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

09.07.2010 Car of leaders of the Union of Poles searched for firearms

The present leader of the disgraced Union of Poles in Belarus, Anzelika Orechva, and her deputy, Andrei Pachobut, were detained on 8 July afternoon in Slonim and guarded to the Slonim District Police Department.

07.07.2010 Court dismissed Yury Varonezhtsau's lawsuit

Ryhor Dzmitrenka, Chairperson of the Tsentralny District Court of Homel, returned without consideration the lawsuit that had been filed by the civil and political activist Yury Varonezhtsau against the Police Department of the Homel Region Executive Committee and advised the plaintiff to apply to procuracy.

01.07.2010 Journalist Yury Varonezhtsau applies to court to return confiscated belongings and money

On 29 June, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Yury Varonezhtsau, applied to the Tsentralny District Court of Homel with a complaint against the actions of the police department of the Homel Region Executive Committee, who had conducted a search at his home on 18 May and had confiscated some things that belonged to him and his family.

28.06.2010 Police raid activists’ flats

Minsk police searched the private apartment of youth activist Andrus Krechka, the Nasha Niva independent newspaper reports. The activist was charged with cracking a web-site. As a result, the police seized his personal computer.

16.06.2010 Activist’s car searched

On 15 June, the police searched the car of Aleh Shabetnik, Rechytsa activist of the ‘Havary Praudu’ civil campaign, after they allegedly received an anonymous phone call, claiming that the activist was transporting poachers.

08.06.2010 Vaukavysk: disabled UCP activist can go on hunger-strike of protest

A UCP activist from Vaukavysk, Vital Huliak, was unable to receive his disability pension, because his bank card had been seized by the police.

02.06.2010 Police don't return money and computers to activists of 'Speak Truth' campaign

The activists of the Speak Truth campaign who had been seized their property on 1-19 May, have not been returned anything still.

19.05.2010 More searches at Havary Praudu offices

The police continue searching the offices and private apartments of the ‘Havary Praudu’ activists.

18.05.2010 Police search offices of political and civil activists

Today, on 18 May the police searched the offices and private apartments of a number of political and civil activists across the country.

18.05.2010 Dozens searches across Belarus

The local offices of the ‘Havary Praudu’ civil campaign are searched by the police and the KGB, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports. The cities under attack include Brest, Homel, Hrodna, Barysau, Mahiliou and Minsk. The search at the campaign’s Minsk office was sanctioned by the city’s Leninski Prosecutor’s Office. The law enforcement agencies seize office equipment and printed materials.

04.05.2010 Zmitser Salauyou complaints to General Procuracy about search

Human rights defender Zmitser Salauyou lodged with the General Procuracy a complaint about actions of the police officers who had searched on 3 May an apartment owned by him.

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.

30.04.2010 HR activist’s office searched (updated)

According to the Navapolatsk human rights activist Zmitser Salauyou, his office is currently being searched by the police. The search was sanctioned by the town’s prosecutor’s office and is said to be linked to a criminal case initiated by the local police under Article 341 of the Criminal Code – ‘desecration of buildings and damage to property’ – following a number of inscriptions made on some of the town’s buildings.

17.04.2010 Laptop and flash cards seized from local council candidate

Houses of oppositional local council candidate Alyaksandr Zarembyuk and his parents in the town of Masty were searched.

A laptop and other things were searched. As Radio Svaboda reports, Ales Zarembyuk is to visit investigator Pavedaika in the Hrodna region KGB department on Saturday morning. He is called to the department as a suspect.