Belarus

We monitor the development in Belarus, and cooperate with the exiled Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius, Lithuania. The house serves as a meeting place for people involved in civil society, and provides protection to exposed activists. We also support a Belarusian rock festival in Ukraine. The festival is carried out in exile as singing in Belarusian is banned in Belarus.

• Ales Bialiatski’s appeal dismissed

  2012-01-24 - Belarus
  

  On January 24, the Minsk city court upheld the 4.5-year verdict against Ales Bialiatski, Chair of Human Rights Centre Viasna. ”The Belarusian regime is using the process against Ales Bialiatski to silence human rights defenders in the country, said Joanna Kurosz, Programme Director at Civil Rights Defenders.

• Fines for visiting websites

  2012-01-11 - Belarus
  

  According to a new amendment Belarusians can be fined EUR 100 for visiting a banned website, among them the site of Viasna. -This is another step taken by Alexander Lukashenka’s regime to suppress freedom of speech on the internet, said Joanna Kurosz at Civil Rights Defenders.

• Persecution of Viasna continues

  2011-12-02 - Belarus
  

  On November 29 Ales Bialiatski, Chair of Viasna, appealed the verdict of the Pershamaiski District Court in Minsk, sentencing him to four and a half years in prison and confiscation of property for tax evasion. Civil Rights Defenders believes that the decision is a pretext for the regime to silence human rights defenders.

• Drop all charges against Ales Bialiatski

  2011-11-25 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders and Östgruppen condemn the verdict against Ales Bialiatski, Chairperson of Human Rights Centre Viasna. A protest letter was submitted to the Belarusian Embassy in Stockholm on November 25.

• Ales Bialiatski sentenced to prison

  2011-11-24 - Belarus
  

  Ales Bialiatski, Chariman of the human rights organisation Viasna, was sentenced for tax evasion to four and a half years in prison and confiscation of property. An unacceptable verdict according to Civil Rights Defenders.

• Polish Ambassador feels guilt for Bialiatski’s case

  2011-11-02 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian authorities used extraordinary precautions to prevent people from attending the trial against human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. The Ambassador of Poland, Leszek Szerepka, came to the trial and expressed his country’s guilt for the case of Ales Bialiatski.

• Belarus closes borders before trial

  2011-11-01 - Belarus
  

  Representatives from human rights organisations, including Civil Rights Defenders, have been denied visa for travel to Belarus and cannot attend the trial of Ales Bialiatski. The fact that Belarus is closing the borders for international observers reinforces our concern that Ales Bialiatski will not get a fair and just trial.

• Law amendments a threat to civil society

  2011-10-20 - Belarus
  

  In a joint statement, we urge the upper chamber of the Belarusian Parliament to quash the recent legislative amendments that impose limitations on freedom of assembly and association and severely restrict the work of Belarusian civil society groups.

• Seventh Pride festival in Minsk

  2011-10-13 - Belarus
  

  On October 11, the International Day of Coming Out, Pride was opening in Minsk. “A provocation for those who do not want to recognize the political rights of LGBT people”, said Siarhei Androsenka, from Minsk Gay Pride.

• Continued harassment of Viasna

  2011-09-29 - Belarus
  

  Uladzimir Labkovich, legal adviser at Human Rights Center Viasna, was detained in Minsk in connection to a manifestation in support of Ales Bialiatski, on September 25. The arrest is yet another example of the harassment of Viasna employees.

• Campaign to release Ales Bialiatski

  2011-09-21 - Belarus
  

  On Sunday September 25th, Ales Bialiatski turns 49. There is an obvious risk that he will spend this birthday and many more in prison. We are now launching a campaign for his release. Support our cause, and help us empower human rights defenders in Belarus.

• Alarming situation in Belarus

  2011-09-20 - Belarus
  

  We are deeply concerned about the widespread human rights violations in the aftermath of the presidential elections, said Civil Rights Defenders and several other human rights organisations in a statement to the Human Rights Council today.

• Bialiatski still in jail

  2011-09-05 - Belarus
  

  A month has passed since the arrest of Ales Bialiatski, president of the Human Rights Centre Viasna. Bialiatski was arrested in Minsk on August 4, and remains in detention on charges of tax evasion.

• Ales Bialiatski’s detention prolonged

  2011-08-15 - Belarus
  

  On the 12th of August Ales Bialiatski, chair of the Human Rights Center Viasna, was officially charged with “Concealment of profits on an especially large scale” (Paragraph 2, Article 243 of the Belarusian Criminal Code) and his detention has been prolonged by two months.

• Petition to release Ales Bialiatski

  2011-08-11 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders in a coalition of international human rights organisations, are deeply concerned about the arrest of Ales Bialiatski on allegations of large-scale tax evasion. We sent a petition to the Belarusian prosecutor’s office asking to release Ales pending the investigation against him.

• Call for immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski

  2011-08-08 - Belarus
  

  On 4 August 2011, Ales Bialiatski, Chair of the Human Rights Center Viasna in Belarus, was detained in Minsk. We call upon the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ales Bialiatski and to stop the criminal persecution of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and activists in Belarus.

• Human Rights Defender risks up to seven years in prison

  2011-08-05 - Belarus
  

  Ales Bialiatski, chair of the human rights organisation Viasna, was arrested on August 4th by the Belarus Department of Financial Investigations, suspected of gross tax evasion. According to Belarusian law he risks up to seven years imprisonment.

• Ales Bialiatski arrested

  2011-08-04 - Belarus
  

  Ales Bialiatski, chair of the human rights organisation Viasna, was arrested today. Very little is known at the moment about where he is held and the reasons for his arrest.

• Release peaceful protesters

  2011-07-13 - Belarus
  

  Several human rights organizations including Civil Rights Defenders condemn the recent arrests of peaceful demonstrators in Belarus. We call upon the Belarusian authorities to immediately release all detained protesters and respect the right to freedom of assembly to all its citizens.

• No change for the better in Belarus

  2011-05-28 - Belarus
  

  Former presidential candidates Mikalai Statkevich and Dmitzry Us have been sentenced to six and five and a half years of imprisonment respectively for organising mass riots. The political opposition is being effectively dismantled by the Belarusian regime.

• Petition to the UN Human Rights Council: Speak up on Belarus!

  2011-03-10 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders has signed a petition together with other NGOs to urge the UN Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution on Belarus. We think it is of outmost importance that the Council unequivocally condemns the human rights violations that took place after the Belarusian Presidential election in December 2010.

• New report on the violence against journalists in Belarus

  2011-02-25 - Belarus
  

  According to a newly released report, the behaviour of the Belarusian authorities after the Presidential election in December, 2010, shows that the Belarusian Government does not fulfill the country’s obligations regarding freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

• Open letter to Lukashenko

  2011-02-23 - Belarus
  

  In an open letter to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko we urge the authorities to repeal the warning against Ales Bialiatski and to refrain from further pressure on human rights defenders.

• Ales Bialiatski warned – continued activities can lead to prosecution

  2011-02-16 - Belarus
  

  Ales Bialiatski, President of the human rights organisation “Viasna”, was officially warned by the General Prosecutor’s Office for alleged violation of Article 193.1. The General Prosecutor’s Office also made clear that continued activities could lead to prosecution.

• The Belarusian bumblebee battle against gravity

  2011-02-09 - Belarus
  

  If the Belarusian dictator regime is going to land in democratic reforms, Sweden and the EU must keep the pressure on Lukashenka and not bargain with him with something that does not belong to him – the rights of his citizens, writes Robert Hårdh, executive director at Civil Rights Defenders, in a op-ed on Dagens Arena.

• Human rights organisation searched by the KGB

  2011-01-21 - Belarus
  

  On Monday the 17th of January the Committee for State Security, KGB, searched the Human Rights Centre Viasna for the third time in just one month. Events related to the Belarusian election on the 19th of December 2010 were stated as reasons in the search warrant. Ales Bialiatski, President of Human Rights Centre Viasna, was taken by the KGB but released the same day.

• OSCE must take urgent measures regarding Belarus

  2011-01-11 - Belarus
  

  We appeal to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Participating States to condemn the human rights violations in Belarus that have followed the presidential elections of December 19, 2010. Read more and sign the appeal.

• Belarus, our sister

  2010-12-30 - Belarus
  

  Our Human Rights Lawyer Goran Miletic calls for Serbian authorities to react upon the violations of basic human rights in Belarus, in a blog published in Pescanik on 23 December 2010.

• Continued crackdown on civil society and opposition in Belarus

  2010-12-27 - Belarus
  

  The harassment of human rights organisations, independent media and political opposition continued during the Christmas holidays. Several raids were conducted by KGB of both offices and apartments belonging to civil and political activists.

• Open letter to Lukashenko

  2010-12-21 - Belarus
  

  Together with a number of organisations, we strongly condemn the crackdown on demonstrators, arrests and beatings of journalists, human rights defenders and opposition candidates, which happened in the aftermath of the Presidential elections on 19 December 2010 in Belarus.

• Protesters beaten and arrested

  2010-12-20 - Belarus
  

  Vladimir Nyaklyaeu, Lukashenko’s biggest challenger, was severely beaten, and taken to hospital with a concussion on Sunday night. Later that night, a group of men stormed into his hospital room, wrapped him in a blanket and abducted him. We follow the developments in Belarus with great concern.

• Belarus: Don’t let us be taken in by the dictator’s Potemkin village

  2010-12-19 - Belarus
  

  On Sunday December 19, a presidential election is held in Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship. On the surface this election is more democratic than the previous ones. But appearances are deceptive – the improvements achieved are only cosmetic. Read our op-ed article in Svenska Dagbladet on 19 December.

• Media coverage for presidential candidates restricted in Belarus

  2010-12-17 - Belarus
  

  Even though the state-owned media became more accessible to the candidates compared to previous elections; the attention was still focused on one candidate, the incumbent, and other candidates and parties were marginalized according to the latest report of the Belarusian Association of Journalists’ (BAJ) report.

• Petition to the President of Belarus

  2010-12-10 - Belarus
  

  Support our petition to the President of Belarus. We urge the President to fulfil the country’s obligations i regard to the respect of human rights.

• Bring International Standards Home (BISH) in cooperation with the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius (HRH)

  2010-11-17 - Belarus
  

  In order to strengthen Belarusian citizens access to justice we want to raise awareness of Belarusian Lawyers and activists on human rights and International Standards. To do this, a series of seminars on various rights is conducted within the framework of the project.

• A continuation of EU sanctions

  2010-10-28 - Belarus
  

  On Thursday the 21st of October, EU diplomats agreed on a continuation of EU sanctions against Belarusian authorities. The sanctions were introduced in 2006, after violence and election-rigging in relation to the presidential elections, and included a travel ban to the EU for leading Belarusian officials.

• Presidential elections in Belarus

  2010-10-20 - Belarus
  

  The 19th of December the presidential elections will take place in Belarus. Together with our Belarusian colleagues we will monitor the situation extra carefully during the remaining two months.

• Conference on Human Rights Defenders

  2010-09-24 - Belarus
  

  Joanna Kurosz, programme director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Civil Rights Defenders, will participate as moderator in the Conference of Human Rights Defenders in Belarus and the Baltic States. Around 70 Belarusian Human Rights Defenders will attend the conference together with 80 other participants from the Baltic countries, Western Balkans, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, [...]

• 15th anniversary of BAJ

  2010-09-24 - Belarus
  

  In September our colleagues at the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) are celebrating their 15th anniversary. The organisation is open not only for journalist but also for other people who contribute to journalistic activity and free distribution of information.

• Belarusian journalist found dead

  2010-09-07 - Belarus
  

  On September 3rd Aleh Byabenin was found dead in his country house. The first investigation considers suicide even though Aleh’s family and friends suggest that there was nothing in his behavior or in his life that points towards a suicide.

• NGO:s call for more transparent EU-Belarus dialogue

  2010-09-06 - Belarus
  

  EU could positively influence relations with Belarus and improve the image of the Dialogue Period among Belarusian citizens by providing more feedback on what is going on, and thereby making the dialogue process more transparent, says a group of NGO:s.

• Monitoring Human Rights in Belarus

  2010-06-25 - Belarus
  

  In cooperation with more than 50 Belarusian and international organisations we regularly compile reports regarding the human rights situation in Belarus. The reports are sent to EU parliamentarians and other decision makers in the wake of their discussions about the relations between EU and Belarus.

• Repressive measures remain in Belarus

  2010-06-24 - Belarus
  

  Fundamental civil and political rights remain seriously restricted. The persecution of independent journalists and human rights defenders will most likely intensify on the eve of the Presidential elections, according to our latest report.

• Police arrested LGBT demonstrators in Minsk

  2010-05-18 - Belarus
  

  Seven Belarusian LGBT-activists were recently fined for participating in a demonstration for the rights of sexual minorities. It is unacceptable that these people’s basic rights are not respected, says Robert Hårdh, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders.

• Execution despite negotiation of a moratorium

  2010-04-21 - Belarus
  

  In March, two prisoners were executed in Belarus, despite ongoing negotiations with the Council of Europe on the introduction of a moratorium. According to the United Nations Human Rights Committee Belarus is acting in breach of its international obligations, Viasna says.

• Belarus executions condemned

  2010-04-17 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders, together with over 50 other human rights organisations, condemn the Belarus execution of Andrei Zhuk and Vasily Yuzepchuk.

• Urging Belarus dictator to stop harassment

  2010-03-26 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders and three other human rights organisations urge Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenka to stop harassment of those defending human rights in Belarus.

• Human rights defenders arrested for protest against death penalty

  2010-03-23 - Belarus
  

  Four leading human rights defenders in Belarus were arrested on Tuesday afternoon following a demonstration against the death penalty. The protest was a response to the unexpected execution of two men on death row last week.

• Law on mass media a setback for freedom of speech

  2010-03-13 - Belarus
  

  A year after Belarus imposed a law regulating mass media the legal basis for free media to act in Belarus is decisively weakened. The positive changes in the media field were neither systematic nor definitive.

• Distributing independent news – in cooperation with European Radio for Belarus

  2010-03-12 - Belarus
  

  Civil Rights Defenders  cooperates with European Radio for Belarus to support access to information for the Belarusian people. Our cooperation also aims at assisting a new generation of journalists, who will be able to work professionally in Belarus in the future.

• Human rights defenders against death penalty

  2010-03-12 - Belarus
  

  In January 2010 the human rights organization Viasna and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee launched the campaign “Human rights defenders against death penalty.” The campaign aims to disseminate objective information and in the long term work for abolition of the death penalty.

• Belarus under the microscope in the UN

  2010-02-24 - Belarus
  

  In May 2010 Belarus will be inquired by the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review, UPR. Belarus has for a long time been criticized by both the UN and other international bodies for violations of fundamental human rights. The Belarusian authorities’ reaction to the criticism has been weak. Meanwhile, the country wants [...]

• Providing a safe haven – in cooperation with Human Rights House

  2010-02-04 - Belarus
  

  The purpose of our support to the Human Rights House in Vilnius is to provide Belarusian human rights defenders a safe place to plan and carry out activities. In the house in exile they can have seminars, meetings and other activities that cannot be conducted inside Belarus due to the difficult political situation.

• Authorities try to stop independent media before elections

  2010-01-22 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) expresses concern over the media situation in Belarus before the local elections in April. It will be very difficult for the few independent media that exists in the country to provide objective information after threats to close down media from the Media Ministry.

• Journalist Association accused of breaking the law

  2010-01-18 - Belarus
  

  Belarusian Ministry of Justice accuses the independent Association of Journalists, BAJ, of breaking the laws. One can only speculate if this is a consequence of BAJ’s increasingly successful lobbying, says Erik Esbjörnson at Civil Rights Defenders.

• Yet another lost year for Belarus

  2010-01-12 - Belarus
  

  During 2009, the regime has once again imprisoned political prisoners. The authorities continue to deny state registration to political parties and non-governmental organisations and foreign journalists are refused accreditation.

• Lifting of Sanctions Towards Belarusian Officials Extended

  2009-12-10 - Belarus
  

  Read more about the human rights situation in Belarus in the report from the human rights organisation Viasna.

• Independent Radio Station Accredited in Belarus

  2009-11-18 - Belarus
  

  -We welcome the accreditation of European Radio for Belarus. We hope this will mark a breach in the Belarusian authorities policy of clamping down on independent media and that they will take further steps towards ensuring freedom of expression in Belarus, said Robert Hårdh, executive director at Civil Rights Defenders.

• EU can improve human rights situation in Belarus

  2009-11-11 - Belarus
  

  One year ago the European Union temporarily lifted the travelban on Belarusian politicians and civil servants, hoping that this would lead to an improved human rights situation in the country. In November the future of the sanctions will be decided. Fifty international and Belarusian organisations recommend, in a new report, that EU keeps the travelban [...]

• Fourth report about human rights in Belarus

  2009-11-02 - Belarus
  

  In the fourth report about the human rights situation in Belarus, Belarusian and international organisations urge the EU to prolong the temporary cancelation of sanctions in order to achieve permanent changes.

• No changes of the legal framework

  2009-09-30 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian government’s policies have remained largely unchanged since the last monitoring report was released in March 2009. While isolated concessions were made to the political opposition and civil society that allowed them carry out some activities without harassment, repressive measures remained in place and continued to be enforced on a selective basis. No changes [...]

• International Human Rights Organisations Call for Press Freedom in Belarus

  2009-09-28 - Belarus
  

  International Media and Press Freedom Organisations jointly call for reforms and the removal of restrictions on the media in the Republic of Belarus.

• Human Rights in Belarus

  2009-09-10 - Analysis
  

  (Updated December 2011) The overall situation in Belarus seemed to remain on a stable, negative level during 2009 and 2010, with small improvements as a result of the dialogue between Belarus and the EU. However, since the elections on December 19, 2010, the human rights situation has hit an all time low with a massive, [...]

• Human Rights Defender Sentenced to Fine

  2009-07-16 - Belarus
  

  Belarus continues to punish the country’s human rights defenders. On July 16, the Belarusian human rights defender and lawyer Leanid Svetsik was sentenced to a huge fine. Svetsik has for several years been working with legal aid to human rights activists in the city of Vitebsk, who had received letters with threats from members of the Nazi-organization Russian National Unity.

• Viasna challenges the dictatorship

  2009-06-08 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian human rights organisation Viasna has been working in secret since 2003. After three attempts to register the activists are fed up and are now publicly announcing their activities, which are classified as illegal in Belarus. Three representatives of Viasna; Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovitj and Uladzimir Labkovitj made the risky statement on a press [...]

• Human Rights Organisation Denied Registration for the Third Time

  2009-06-02 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian human rights organisation Nasja Viasna was on Thursday once again denied registration by the authorities. It is the third time in slightly less than two years that the foremost human rights defenders in Belarus are denied the right to work legally. The reasons for the denial are as absurd as previously. One example [...]

• EU Meets Belarus Ten Years after Disappearance of Regime Critic

  2009-05-11 - Belarus
  

  Today the EU launches its Eastern partnership aiming at creating closer bonds between the EU and six countries in east, among these the dictatorship Belarus. The project is launched at the EU summit in Prague where representatives of the Belarusian president Aljaksandr Lukasjenka will participate. At the same time it is exactly ten years since [...]

• Steps taken by the authorities have been primarily cosmetica

  2009-04-03 - Belarus
  

  The minor changes made since the EU started a dialogue with Belarus, have not altered the fundamental problems of civil society in Belarus, says the Swedish Helsinki Committee, together with a group of NGO:s, in a report on the human rights developments in the country. Read the latest report describing the human rights situation in [...]

• Belarus – squeezed between Russia and EU

  2009-03-25 - Belarus
  

  Jekaterina Glod, analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS), talks about the latest developments in Belarus and the country’s relationships with Russia and the EU. On March 17 EU decided to give the Belarusian regime a new opportunity to come closer to the European Union. EU temporarily revoked a travel ban for a [...]

• Belarus fails in democracy test

  2009-03-05 - Belarus
  

  The Belarusian authorities refuse to register the human rights organisation Nasja Viasna. This shows clearly that the Belarusian regime has failed an important test of their will to democratize the country, says Robert Hårdh, Secretary General of the Swedish Helsinki Committee. We believe that this is a matter of discrimination for political reasons. We are [...]

• Forty Activists Arrested on Human Rights Day

  2008-12-10 - Belarus
  

  Belarusian human rights activists were arrested by the police while distributing flyers on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The police confiscated the flyers and registered the details of the activists’ passports before releasing them an hour later. All previous talk of the country’s democratisation seems hollow in the light of [...]