Over 1,000 detained again in Sunday protests
Riot police confront protesters near the grassroots memorial to Raman Bandarenka. November 15, 2020. Most of them were eventually detained, while several dozen were forced to find shelter in the neighboring apartment buildings. Photo: tut.by At least 1,127 protesters were detained yesterday across Belarus, as riot police and other law enforcement officers violently dispersed […]
Immediately release Viasna members and activists! Stop criminal proceedings against protesters!
March against Terror, a protest held on November 1, 2020 in Minsk. Photo: svaboda.org Statement by Belarusian Human Rights Center “Viasna” Minsk — November 2, 2020 On October 30, 2020, a member of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and independent […]
Human Rights Situation in October 2020
Image source: Facebook page of Viasna Summary: during the month, the authorities continued to routinely prosecute citizens for political reasons. There are 101 political prisoners at the moment, and the number continues to increase. The total number of people targeted by criminal cases in the election and post-election period is more than 700 people; […]
Human rights coalition adds more persons to political prisoners list
Human Rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich. Image source: tut.by Three political prisoners released from pre-trial detention after Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s visit to the KGB prison on October 10 have been placed under house arrest. Four more were subjected to less stringent restrictions, known as release on own recognizance. As a result, Illia Salei, Vitaly Shklyarov and Liliya Ulasava will be […]
20 new names on list of political prisoners
Image source: belarusfeed.com (tut.by) Minsk – October 7, 2020 In response to recent reports of the charges under Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (mass riots) brought against Mikita Hancharou, Uladzimir Harokh, Maksim Zinevich, Mikhail Kalishuk, Antanina Kanavalava, Ivan Krasouski, Illia Mihno, Viktar Shaur, Hanna Sunhurava, Tamaz Pipiya, Tsimur Pipiya, Rastsislau Stefanovich, Artsiom Kasakouski, Dzianis Marusevich, and Mark […]
Human Rights Situation in Belarus: September 2020
A woman confronting riot police during a protest in Minsk. October 4, 2020. Photo: tut.by Summary: during the month, the authorities actively applied criminal prosecution for political reasons. Seventy-four political prisoners continued to be held in detention, and the number continues to grow. The total number of citizens held in criminal cases during the […]
Convicted protesters in Maladziečna are political prisoners
Photo: Viasna Minsk – September 30, 2020 On September 29, the Maladziečna District Court Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners, adopted at the 3rd Belarusian Human Rights Forum, we, representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations, consider Uladzislau Yeustsihneyeu and Pavel Piaskou political prisoners and urge the authorities to: immediately release them from custody; review measures […]
Viasna receives Alternative Nobel Prize
Image: rightlivelihoodaward.org The Swedish Right Livelihood Foundation named today the winners of its annual award, popularly called the Alternative Nobel Prize. This year’s laureates include the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and its chairman Ales Bialiatski. Other laureates are the imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham […]
Call for donations – Help Defend Human Rights and Free Elections in Belarus
You can donate on the HelpMundo donation platform here: https://www.helpmundo.de/helptools/kampagne/102_help-defend-human-rights-and-free-elections-in-belarus Assist those that have faced repression and have been detained, and those that risk their lives to monitor the situation in Belarus and call attention to the massive scale of electoral fraud and human rights violations in the country. We are collecting donations for: – Legal […]
Belarus: What would be needed to hold new elections?
On 24 September, EPDE co-hosted an online debate with Democracy Reporting International inviting a dozen election experts from Belarus and beyond to discuss conditions for future elections. The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule. While it currently does not look likely that the protesters’ demands for repeat presidential elections will be heeded, it is too early to […]