Financial police arrest another member of opposition coordination council
Liliya Ulasava Liliya Ulasava, a famous mediator and a member of the presidium of the Coordination Council, has been arrested by officers of the Department for Financial Investigations, according to a Council member Maksim Znak. Ulasava was detained after coming to a district police department in Minsk to provide explanations about her alleged involvement in […]
Police go back to arrests of peaceful protesters, strikers and opposition figures
Police detain protester in Independence Square in Minsk. August 24, 2020. Photo: tut.by Thirty-nine protesters faced administrative charges following yesterday’s protests in a number of Belarusian cities, the Interior Ministry’s spokesperson said. Three criminal cases were opened to investigate alleged violence against police officers, it said. Siarhei Verameyenka, an activist in Hrodna, faced criminal charges […]
What can the OSCE do in Belarus?
Image source: N1 info Many politicians and commentators have called for the involvement of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Belarus. The OSCE is a security body which includes 57 participating states, including all states of Europe, the US and Canada. It has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses […]
Protesters detained in dozens again, several sentenced to prison sentences
Teachers protesting outside the Ministry of Education in Minsk. The protests was prompted by Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s threat to expel disloyal educators from schools. August 25, 2020. Photo: tut.by Over fifty protesters were detained on 25 August during and after several demonstrations held in Minsk, Homieĺ, Hrodna and Babrujsk. Some of them were released, but […]
EPDE welcomes EU, US, and the Russian Federation’s call for OSCE facilitation in Belarus
Protesters unfold a banner reading “Fair Elections, Court Trial, Freedom for Political Prisoners” during the rally in Minsk, 16 August, 2020. Credit: Natalia Fedosenko / TASS EPDE Statement: The European Platform for Democratic Elections appreciates the latest developments with the United States, the European Union and the Russian President Putin having called on the […]
HRDs call to release political prisoners held on rioting charges
Peaceful protester detained in Minsk. August 10, 2020. Photo: belsat.eu Following reports about the arrest of activists of the campaign headquarters of former presidential nominee Viktar Babaryka — Liavon Khalatran, Anton Bialinski, Ihar Bialinski, Andrei Pazniak, Siarhei Mikhayenka, Yury Vaskrasenski, Artur Vaskrasenski, Ihar Yarmolau, Artsiom Moladau, Aliaksandra Moladava and Uladzislau Karenski — as suspects in a criminal case […]
44 protesters still in detention, 13 missing, one more reported dead
Protester detained by riot police. Photo: belsat.eu 44 people detained during the post-election protests remain in custody, after they were sentenced to short terms of administrative detention, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also confirmed that 6 persons were still held as part of “ongoing investigations”. Some 6,700 protesters […]
Call for an end to violence in Belarus and need for political dialogue with mediation of the OSCE
Image source: Belsat TV The presidential elections on August 9, 2020 took place under massive political pressure and contrary to Belarusian laws and international commitments. The ongoing state violence and detention of protesters against election rigging violates the Paris Charter and the values of democracy and Human rights in Europe. They are shaking Belarusian […]
EPDE members show solidarity with colleagues in Belarus
Image source: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters Since the presidential election on August 9, protests broke out across Belarus which have been dispersed violently. Over 6 000 citizens have been arrested, including journalists and activists. EPDE members Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Center “Viasna” also report that 150 observers have been arrested, including from their joint […]
Hundreds of protesters released from prisons. Torture reports mount
Image source: tut.by Several hundred protesters were released from the three detention centers in Minsk and Žodzina last night, while the exact number of them remains unknown. Many of them were taken away in ambulances immediately after leaving the prisons. The prisoners walked free against the background of certain relaxation of repression and a […]