Analytical review No. 4-1 (updated) “An Analytical Review upon Results of the Examination of Evidence from 205 Citizens Detained during the Public Action on December 19th, 2010 in Minsk”

Submitted by admin on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 11:43

The present Analytical Review prepared by the Foundation for Legal Technologies Development, International Observation Mission and Legal Transformation Center is based upon the data gathered from 205 persons over the period from January 3rd, 2011 up to and including January 21st, 2011 in Minsk. The information was gained by means of questionnaires filled in by respondents individually. Respondents were people detained during the public action of the night from December 19th to December 20th, 2010.

205 questionnaires were processed in total, 43 of those were filled in by women and 162 – by men. Respondents were aged from 18 to 61.

The analytical review considers the following issues:

  • violence and other types of brute, cruel and degrading actions of law-enforcement bodies and security forces;
  • violation of human rights and freedoms in the court premises and upon the procedures related to court trials;
  • violation of rights of those administratively arrested while in prison.

General conclusions on the facts stated above and the analysis carried out may be summarized as follows: While arresting the protesters on December 19th, 2010, filing protocols of detainees, their subsequent detention, holding administrative court trials and serving administrative punishment by those persons the authorities of the Republic of Belarus committed acts having a repressive nature, aimed at intimidating the population and being precautionary in relation to public expression of opinions by the people through carrying out mass actions.

Despite of the apparently planned behavior of the law enforcement officers and targeted detention of hundreds of persons, the state did not care about ensuring to those people at least minimum standards of treatment respecting human dignity during detention and subsequent custody, which led to massive violations of human rights and freedoms of the mentioned individuals. These actions are not compatible with the notion of democracy and the rule of law, and flagrantly violate the obligations of the Republic of Belarus in the sphere of human rights.

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News of Belarus

Human rights defender Tatsiana Reviaka questioned by KGB

Submitted by admin on Tue, 08/21/2012 - 21:33

Mrs. Tatsiana Reviaka, member of the Human Rights Center Viasna’s Council, has been summoned for “conversation” to the KGB central office, after she received an official writ, saying that she should be questioned “as a person being aware of circumstances that have significance for maintaining the national security of the Republic of Belarus.”

Tatsiana Reviaka visited the KGB office, accompanied by her lawyer.

Ales Bialiatski: “I am a persistent violator!”

Submitted by admin on Sun, 08/12/2012 - 13:33

Back in the middle of June the imprisoned head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski wrote in his letter to Valiantsin Stefanovich: “It seems to me that the reprimands I have received are not the last ones”. The new information from Babruisk, where Ales is currently kept, confirms these words. Thus, in his letter to Valiantsin Stefanovich of 5 August he writes about more reprimands, issued to him by the administration of penal colony #2.

Ukrainian civic activists express their disquiet about the visit of President of Belarus to Kyiv

Submitted by admin on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 18:01

Open appeal to the heads of states, diplomats and representatives of the international organizations:

Ukrainian human rights defenders, civic activists and concerned citizens express their disquiet about the planned visit of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to Kyiv on July 1st 2012.