OSCE media freedom representative protests jailing of journalist in Minsk

Submitted by admin on Fri, 01/13/2012 - 14:06

VIENNA, 11 January 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, condemned today the sentencing of Ales Barazenka, an independent Belarusian cameraman, to 11 days’ imprisonment for "participating in an unsanctioned event".

“Belarus continues to prevent journalists from covering public protests. The Government should allow journalists to cover any political event, whether officially sanctioned or not, for the sake of society’s right to know,” said Mijatović. “I call on the authorities to release Barazenka and stop harassing him and other journalists.”

She reiterated her concern about the “constant harassment that many… journalists suffer in the wake of the unfortunate events a year ago”, expressed in her 19 December 2011 letter to Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov.

Barazenka was detained while filming a one-man protest outside of the KGB headquarters in Minsk on 8 January and sentenced the following day. On several prior occasions, he was briefly detained and questioned by police and the KGB, his apartment was searched and his computer confiscated.

Original sourse: http://www.osce.org/fom/86949

News of Belarus

Tough sentences announced to Brest antifascists

Submitted by admin on Mon, 10/05/2015 - 21:00

A verdict was delivered today in the case of Brest antifascists acused of participation in a group fight with neonazis which happened on May 8, 2013.

Antifascists were tried under the art. 339.3 (malicious group hooliganism) and 147.2 (malicious bodily harm). The case was qualified as malicious due to the fact of pepper spray usage in the fight.

Dzmitry Stsyashenka got 5 years of penal colony with reinforced regime (339.3) and 500 euro of damages to be paid to the injured nazis.

Exclusive: European Union moves to suspend sanctions on Belarus

Submitted by admin on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 21:00

The European Union is likely to lift some sanctions on Belarus, including its travel ban on President Alexander Lukashenko, after he freed a group of political prisoners last month, diplomatic sources say.

An arms embargo against the former Soviet republic would remain. But in an overture to the man the West calls Europe's "last dictator", diplomats are looking at suspending visa bans and asset freezes on most of around 200 people under sanctions for rights abuses, some since disputed elections in 2004.