Аlaksiej Lapicki, Zhodzina

At the heart of our story there is an information event usual for today’s secure Belarus, namely, the prohibition of one of a dozen similar peaceful assemblies of citizens to hold a picket in HUMAN RIGHTS DAY … With the only difference that it happened … in the 60000th Zhodzina.

On 25 November human rights defenders from Zhodzina together with many people around the country filed the requests to the City Executive Committees to hold the pickets dedicated to 61st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Continue reading »

The UN Human Rights Committee has registered the individual complaint by Homel opposition activists Aliaksandr Protska and Andrei Tolchyn, the BelaPAN news agency reports. Continue reading »

Tatsiana Shaputska

Friends and colleagues!

On December 5, 2009 Tatsiana Shaputska was expelled from the Faculty of Law of Belarusian State University.
The decision on expulsion was passed by the Rector of BSU, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Siarhei Ablameika. The official press is replete with explanations that the reason for the decision to expel Tatsiana Shaputska was her failure to attend the classes for two days as well as breaking the travel rules for students during the academic year. Continue reading »

Tags: Belarusian State University, expulsion, solidarity, Tatsiana Shaputska, Young Front

Cenzura u Internecie

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

Under this document, control over web-sites in Belarus is to be carried out in accordance with to the procedure prescribed by the Council of Ministers on approval of the special service, the Operational and Analytics Centre of the Presidential Administration (OAC).

Under the draft decree, the OAC is to control the internet providers of the country. Continue reading »

Tags: freedom of speech, Internet

Alaksandar Buhvostau

As said to the BelaPAN by the leader of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Party of Workers Aliaksandr Bukhvostau, on 15 December the Supreme Court of Belarus didn’t grant the lawsuit of the party concerning its’ non-registration by the Ministry of Justice.

’The verdict was quite predictable’, said Bukhvostau. ‘In fact, all our tactics of work with the Ministry of Justice was near miss. We refused to submit the additional documents that we believed were unnecessary for registering the party.’ Continue reading »

Tags: Belarusian Party of Workers, registration

Uladzimier Kacora

Homel Savetski Tax Inspection ordered Homel member of the For Freedom movement Uladzimer Katsora to pay 10 million roubles for the Civil Initiatives public association, closed down in 2003. Meanwhile, the activist says he has declared his retirement from the position of the head of liquidation commission of Civil Initiatives. Continue reading »

Tags: fine, Homel, Uladzimer Katsora

On 9 December in Minsk the civil initiative Human Rights Alliance announced the names of the holders of its yearly prize for human rights protection. The festive event was attended by about 50 people including journalists, politicians and civil activists.

It is the second time the prize is awarded. Last year its holders were the human rights defender Barys Zvoskau, the lawyer Tamara Sidarenka and the journalist Siamion Pechanko. Continue reading »

Tags: contest, human rights activists, Human Rights Alliance

Human rights are prohibited to hold pickets or any other actions on the International Day of Human Rights, 10 December.

Groundless refusals were given to the civil activists who applied for authorization of human rights actions in Baranavichy, Barysau, Biaroza, Homel, Hrodna, Mahiliou, Mazyr, Navapolatsk, Orsha, Smarhon, Vitsebsk and some other towns. In Brest the authorities prohibited holding a picket, but instead permitted a rally at the Locomotive stadium. Continue reading »

Tags: ban, International Day of Human Rights

Human Rights Day, Minsk

On the International Human Rights Day representatives of the Belarusian human rights community passed to the Presidential Administration a petition calling to abolish the death penalty as a kind of punishment that contradicts to the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution and international human rights treaties.

The member of Belarusian Helsinki Committee Hary Pahaniaila, the members of the Foundation for Legal Technologies Development Alena Tankachova and Volha Smalianka, the member of the Center for Human Rights Raisa Mikhailouskaya, the members of Human Rights Center Viasna Zmitser Salauyou and Iryna Toustsik, the member of the Committee for Protection of the Repressed Salidarnasts Andrei Sushko and the human rights defender from Brest Raman Kisliak came to the Presidential Administration. Continue reading »

Tags: human rights activists, International Human Rights Day, petition

Міkalai Haurylenka, Lelchytsy

On December 10th, in celebration of the day of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, democracy and human rights activists from Lelchytski region held an action called “Legal information for children”. Continue reading »