News for March 2004

31.03.2004 Christos Pourgourides: You Must Be a Very Brave Man Or Woman to Be a Journalist in Belarus Today, Working for Independent Media…

31.03.2004 Polish Amnesty International Expresses Support to Belarusian Human Rights Defenders. German AI Insists on Proper Reaction of German and Other Governments to Human Rights Situation in Belarus.

30.03.2004 Vitebsk Human Rights Defenders Not Allowed to Observe Trials Court heads explain the ?#152;closed’ trials by the fact that judges’ embarrassment.

30.03.2004 Viasna Chair Ales Bialatski Summoned to Prosecutor’s Office

30.03.2004 Belarusian Human Rights Defenders Often Become Victims of Pressure and Intimidation by the Authorities, Concludes Amnesty International in Its Special Report

30.03.2004 Young Front Member Detained on Belarus Border with Lithuania

29.03.2004 Chairperson of Free Trade Union Organization Fired from Work

29.03.2004 Zubr Activists Detained

27.03.2004 Police Detains 7 Rally Participants in Salihorsk. Trials Take Place

27.03.2004 Brest Police Detains Alesia Pukala for Leaflet Distribution

27.03.2004 Organizer of “Worthy Life to Belarusian People” Rally Knocked Over by Car

27.03.2004 Andrei Kozel Beaten during Arrest on Freedom Day Complains to Prosecutor’s Office

26.03.2004 Participants of the Freedom Day Tried

26.03.2004 Andrei Kozel Detained and Battered on 25 March Tells His Story

25.03.2004 Detained Participants of Freedom Day Celebration Are Guarded by Russian Policemen

25.03.2004 Police Detains Participants of the Freedom Day Celebration

25.03.2004 Davydowskaya’s Complaint Unsatisfied On 25 March the Judicial board for civic cases of Brest regional court did not satisfy Nina Davydowskaya’s complaint. Davydowskaya was fined for spreading leaflets about the Human Rights Day (December 10, 2003).

25.03.2004 Authorities Ban Concert Dedicated to Freedom Day

25.03.2004 Police Detains 9 People: Students and Graduates of Belarusian Lyceum and Parent

25.03.2004 Detained Participants of Freedom Day Celebration Are Guarded by Russian Policemen

25.03.2004 Police Detains Participants of the Freedom Day celebration

25.03.2004 Davydowskaya’s Complaint Unsatisfied On 25 March the Judicial board for civic cases of Brest regional court did not satisfy Nina Davydowskaya’s complaint. Davydowskaya was fined for spreading leaflets about the Human Rights Day (December 10, 2003).

24.03.2004 Orsha City Court to Try Head of Local Free Trade Union of Metalworkers

24.03.2004 Head of Slonim BPF Charged with Organization of Unauthorized Rally and Usage of Unregistered Symbols

24.03.2004 Slonim Police Detains Members of the People’s Coalition “5+”

23.03.2004 Interrogation of UCP leader Anatol Labedzka charged with libel against the President Postponed to 26 March

23.03.2004 Supreme Economic Court Confirms Yet Another Warning to BDG

23.03.2004 International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and Belarusian Helsinki Committee Issued a Joint Statement Urging the Authorities to Drop Charges against BHC Head and Accountant and Stop “State Campaign Against Human Rights Activists”

23.03.2004 Newspapers Subscription and Delivery – Only if Licensed

22.03.2004 Belaaziorsk authorities did not allow a seminar on reforms in the sphere of housing and communal services. The seminar was banned because it had been initiated by opposition members of Belaaziorsk city council, reports RFE/RL.