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

HRHF and Belarusian HRH's written statement on Belarus submitted to the Human Rights Council

Submitted by admin on Sat, 03/10/2012 - 09:13

Human Rights Council
Nineteenth session
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

Written statement* submitted by the Human Rights House Foundation, a non-governmental organization in special consultative status

The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated in
accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.

Continued human rights violations in the Republic of Belarus**

Journalist Andrei Myaleshka “invited” to KGB

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/08/2012 - 20:20

Andrei Myaleshka, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), waits to receive a summons to the KGB.

Journalist from Hrodna Anrei Myaleshka says he was invited on the phone to “talk”. He answered he would come only after receiving a summons.

Andrei Myaleshka writes articles mainly on culture for budzma.org.


http://spring96.org/en/news/50282

EU issues statement on death sentences in Belarus - only country in Europe still applying capital punishment

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/08/2012 - 19:45

he EU has issued a statement saying it is “deeply concerned” that two men facing the death sentence in Belarus do not appear to have had a right to judicial appeal. Dzmitry Kanavalaw and Uladzislaw Kavalyow were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in Belarus on 30 November 2011.

In a statement at the OSCE, the EU said it was deeply worried about reports from independent human rights organisations about possible irregularities relating to the trial of the two men.