Belarussian political prisoners need European Parliament support

Today, on the occasion of the visit of Ales Bialiatski, a recently released political activist and Chairman of the Belarus Human Rights Centre "Viasna", Petras Auštrevičius MEP (Liberal Movement, Lithuania) and Hans Van Baalen MEP (VVD, Netherlands) commented:

Today, on the occasion of the visit of Ales Bialiatski, a recently released political activist and Chairman of the Belarus Human Rights Centre "Viasna", Petras Auštrevičius MEP (Liberal Movement, Lithuania) and Hans Van Baalen MEP (VVD, Netherlands) commented:

"We welcome the recent release of Ales Bialiatski, probably the most prominent of the political prisoners still held behind bars in Belarus. The individual case of Mr. Bialiatski and the continuous clamp down on civil society in Belarus require unwavering support from European politicians and leaders."

"Therefore, we are calling on the newly elected Members of the European Parliament and political groups in the European Parliament to adopt a political patronage for the humanitarian situation, legal rights and liberties of a political prisoner in Belarus. A symbolic gesture of this nature would go a long way to maintaining awareness of the destructive nature that the Lukashenko regime has on civil society in Belarus. Political patronage would also offer hope and lift the spirit of the families and relatives of those detained activists that often find themselves under pressure from the regime."

Source: http://www.alde.eu/nc/press/press-and-release-news/press-release/article/belarussian-political-prisoners-need-european-parliament-support-43178/

News of Belarus

Belarus: a month after December 19th. What's next? Press conference

On 19 January 2011, the Belarusian Human Rights House is hosting a press conference on the human rights situation in Belarus. International experts and representatives of human rights organizations from different countries will present their assessment of what is happening in Belarus from the human rights perspective.

When: Wednesday, 19 January 2011, 13:00

Where: Vilnius, Latako str. 3

Host: Belarusian Human Rights House

Contact: ( +370 5 212 7703 )

Пресс-конференция в Беларусском Доме прав человека

Belarus: a month after December 19th: Tragedy for one country or for the whole Europe?

Беларусь: месяц после 19 декабря: трагедия для одной страны или для всей Европы?

Search in the office of the unregistered Human Rights Protection Center “Vyasna” (Minsk)

At the moment search in the office of the unregistered Human Rights Protection Center “Vyasna” (Minsk) has started. One representative of the Committee On State Security (KGB), three unknown persons, 2 legal witnesses required by the procedure and chairman Ales Belyatskiy are inside. Representatives of the International Monitoring Mission of the Committee on International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus and local human rights defenders are at place waiting for the end of the search procedure.