News on the topic: alternative civilian service
02.11.2017 Niakliayeu is the first victim of ‘ruthless liberalization’
The court of Lieninski district of Minsk sentenced yesterday opposition leader Uladzimir Niakliayeu to 10 days of administrative detention, finding him guilty of violating Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (breaching demonstration rules).
01.11.2017 Opposition leaders Niakliayeu and Statkevich in jail again
Opposition leader Uladzimir Niakliayeu has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention allegedly calling to join a protest entitled “March of Angry Belarusians 2.0” in a publication on charter97.org website.
22.01.2014 Draft law on alternative civilian service withdrawn from Parliament
The right to alternative civilian service is enshrined by the Constitution’s Article 57. It has been almost 20 years now, but the law on alternative civilian service still does not exist. The Constitutional Court twice pointed to this fact.
09.08.2013 Civil society activists had a meeting with Belarusian MPs
On 7 August the head of the Center for Legal Transformation Alena Tankachova and the lawyer of the Assembly of Democratic NGOs of Belarus Yuru Chavusau met with representatives of the Regular Commission of the Chamber of Representatives for Human Rights, National Relations and Mass Media. The Parliament was represented by MP Valery Kokash and a representative of the secretariat of the Chamber of Representatives.
08.08.2013 Detention and trials of Belarusian National-Bolsheviks (updated)
This morning in different parts of Minsk the police detained Belarusian National Bolsheviks who were protesting against the "draft-slavery – Yauhen Kontush, Dzmitry Paliyenka and Dzianis Sakhar. The detainees were guarded to the Tsentralny District Police Department of Minsk.
06.06.2013 "Tell The Truth!" activist urgently drafted into the army after the end of the drafting campaign
The information about this was posted by another "Tell The Truth" activist, Mikhail Pashkevich. According to him, Artsiom Svirshchyk was kept in the town recruiting office in Anharskaya Street, 8. The staff of the recruiting office refused to present him the documents according to which he was drafted into the army, telling that they were for internal use only.
05.03.2013 Minsk Region Court upholds drafting of Pavel Siarhei
The panel of judges referred to the absence of laws on alternative civilian service and the groundlessness of the draftee's statements that he couldn't serve in the army because of his religious views.
27.11.2012 “Young Front” activist Pavel Siarhei threatened with criminal prosecution
One of the latest political draftees, “Young Front” activist Pavel Siarhei, who refuses to take the military oath because of his religious convictions, faces criminal prosecution.
25.06.2012 Babruisk programmer keeps crying for right to alternative service
Aleh Yauzrezau, a 22-year-old programmer from the town of Babruisk, is going to make a desperate venture to secure his right to alternative service, after his claims were dismissed by local military conscription commission and later by a court.
20.06.2012 Court denies right to alternative service for Pavel Syarhei
The court dismissed a claim by Pavel Syarhei against a decision of the draft board to find him fit for military service.
11.06.2012 Lida: court turns down Andrei Charnavusau's appeal
On 8 June the Lida District Court considered the appeal of Andrei Charnavusau against a ruling of the draft board, by which he was denied the right to choose alternative civilian service instead of military service. The case was considered by Judge Yermakovich. The interests of the draft board were represented by three members of the commission including its chairman.
16.05.2012 Alternative service: No law for conscientious objectors
“Persons who claim the right to perform alternative service are not draft evaders, but conscientious objectors who do not want to perform military service with weapons in their hands. They agree to larger service time,” said Yauhen Asiyeuski, coordinator of the campaign “For Alternative Civil Service”, at today’s press-conference in Minsk.
01.10.2010 Another attempt to draft Yauhen Yakavenka
In June 2010 the member of the Party of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Yauhen Yakavenka was sentenced to 1 year of personal restraint with direction to an open penitentiary institution for the demand to be assigned to an alternative civilian service. Recently Mr. Yakavenka has received an answer from the Ministry of Defense to his request to be assigned to alternative civilian service. The answer, signed by the commissioner of the Homel City Executive Committee, colonel Yafimchyk, reads that the correspondence with the draftee on this matter is stopped.
04.08.2010 Youth NGOs propose draft on alternative service
A number of Belarusian youth organizations, including ‘Civil Forum’, ‘Young Democrats’, ‘Movement of Future’, ‘Young Front’, as well as several human rights groups (‘Center for Legal Transformation’, and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee), have developed a draft bill on alternative service, an option provided by Article 57 of the Constitution, but not applied in reality as yet, the Young Front press-service reports.
29.07.2010 Amnesty International welcomes release of Yauhen Yakavenka and demands guarantees for him
Amnesty International has welcomed the release of a conscientious objector in Belarus who had been sentenced to one year in prison for “evading military service”.
