Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in April 2008
In April the trials on several politically motivated cases were conducted in Belarus. As a result the country has 12 new political convicts, two of whom have been sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the addresses of the international structures, the European countries and the US to the Belarusian authorities, politically motivated criminal persecution in Belarus is still going on. The repressions continue and acquire new forms. Now all mass actions are shot on video by police and KGB officers. Then these video recordings are used as evidence in criminal and administrative cases against activists.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in March 2008
The 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic and the traditional Freedom Day rally dedicated to it were the main events this March. The preparation to the Freedom Day started long before the holiday. As early as on 6 February the opposition addressed Minsk city executive committee requiring the official permission for the procession and meeting. The address was filed on behalf of the chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Party Liavon Barshcheuski, the chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, the head of the For Freedom movement Aliaksandr Milinkevich and the chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Narodnaya Hramada Mikalai Statkevich. The action participants intended to gather in Yakub Kolas Square near the Belarusian State Philharmonics and march along the Nezalezhnastsi Avenue to Valadarski Street and then continue the procession along the Haradzki Val, Maksim Bahdanovich and Yanka Kupala Streets, up to Yanka Kupala Square. The authorities kept to their usual position and proposed their own route – from the Academy of Sciences to Banhalor Square. The action organizers did not obey to this requirement of the authorities. 25 March Uadzimir Navumau, the minister of interior, stated that in the case the rally did not follow the officially proposed route, the police would interrupt the action with the use of physical force and riot gear.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in February 2008
In February in Belarus most attention was paid to political prisoners and politically motivated criminal cases. The main event this month is the cassation of the politically motivated verdicts to the youth activist Artur Finkevich and the journalist Aliaksandr Zdvizhkou, as a result of which both were released from jail. The authorities also granted parole to the entrepreneurs Mikalai Autukhovich and Yury Liaonau and the oppositional politician Andrei Klimau. However, despite the demands of the EU and the US the former candidate to president of Belarus Aliaksandr Kazulin remains behind bars. He was proposed release from jail in exchange for emigration to Germany and cessation of political activities. In addition, the authorities demonstrated an exceptional violence in relation to Kazulin’s family. His wife Iryna died of cancer and the authorities didn’t let him go to the funeral for two days. It cannot but be considered as a violation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Belarus is a state party of.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in January 2008
This time the beginning of the year was hotter than usual. The total offence of the Belarusian authorities on the social and economical sphere of social life increased the protest moods, which resulted in the use of harder repressions against the most active protesters. Despite the fact that January events were a planned continuation of the December meeting of entrepreneurs, the authorities were not ready to such decisive protection of the working rights demonstrated by this category of citizens. Presidential decree #760 of 29 December 2006, by which the entrepreneurs were deprived of the right to employ any workers except for three close relatives since January 2008, made many workers of small business redundant. Besides, it affected ordinary citizens – the markets became empty, many stalls were closed, route taxis to markets started driving more rarely, etc. All efforts of the leaders of the entrepreneurs’ movement to establish a dialogue with the authorities gave no result – which witnesses that the high-rank officials decided to liquidate individual entrepreneurs as an unnecessary social class. Desperate entrepreneurs had nothing to do but go out to the streets.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in December 2007
In December a wave of social protests rolled over Belarus. A part of the protest actions were connected with the enforcement of the law on social benefits, rights and guarantees for certain categories of citizens, by which the main benefits to the population were liquidated. Another part was connected with protests against the enforcement of presidential decree #760, prohibiting individual entrepreneurs to hire employees with the exception of close relatives.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in November 2007
On 4 November the Belarusian opposition held the Social March¸ a mass action of protest against the decreasing life standards. At first the organizers intended to gather the people at Kastrychnitskaya Square and lead them to the National library where a meeting was to have taken place. However, as it usually happens, Minsk city executive committee again changed the place of gathering and the route. The place of the meeting was transferred to Banhalor Square.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in October 2007
On 14 October a democratic street action ‘European March’ took place in Belarus. Its aim was to demonstrate the European choice of the Belarusian society. On 9 October Minsk city executive committee permitted the action, but, as it usually happens in Belarus, changed the place of assembly and the destination of the procession. At first the organizers intended to gather the action participants at 2 p.m. in Kastrychnitskaya Square and lead the procession along the Independent Avenue to the National Library. Minsk city executive committee insisted on change of the route and proposed the traditional one: from the Academy of Sciences to Bangalore Square.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in September 2007
In September the democratic opposition of Belarus was preparing to the autumn actions, the European and the Social marches, to demand from the authorities the realization of the social guarantees and familiarize the population with the EU proposals to Belarus and the conditions in which they could come into effect. On 30 September the United democratic forces intended to hold mass pickets all over Belarus. Official applications for authorization of these actions were filed in more than 60 towns and cities of Belarus. One day Salihorsk district executive committee received about a hundred of picket applications, half of which were aimed at protesting against the present social policy, the liquidation of social benefits and guarantees and others – at collection of signatures under the demand to release political prisoners.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in July-August 2007
During the last two summer months the Belarusian authorities continued persecuting democratic activists: policemen groundlessly detained people without composing detention reports or accused them in administrative violations. Despite the summer season the Belarusian opposition continued active work and preparation to autumn actions including the European March appointed on 14 October and the Social March. Democratic activists distributed agitation materials with the aim to inform citizens about the marches. Besides, during this period the democratic circles celebrated an important date of the Belarusian history, 27 July. This day in 1990 the deputies of the Belarusian Parliament of the 12th Convocation adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty.
Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in June 2007
In June the Belarusian authorities again clearly showed their reluctance to change their course and initiate any democratic transformations in the country. Parole to several political prisoners and mild sentences on the criminal case against five members of Young Front were just an attempt to simulate democratization in response to insistent demands of the US and the EU. In fact, fundamental changes are impossible within a totalitarian system as they lead to its collapse. That’s why in June the authorities stopped concessions and continued the policy of bans, intimidation and suppression of freedoms and liberties. The Parliament did not receive the draft law on amnesty during its last session. As a result this issue will remain unsolved till the autumn session.
