In the past week, several Belarusian human rights defenders were stopped at the border and denied departure from Belarus. A total of almost ten journalists and human rights activists had to turn back from the border with the words “denied exit” in their passports.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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