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**

Since the 19 December 2010 presidential elections, authorities have been harshly repressing human rights defenders and their organisations, lawyers, journalists, and any person who raises a critical voice or shows concern about the human rights situation in Belarus, such as students and citizens peacefully assembling. 

On 21 February 2011, the High Commissioner for Human Rights gave the following assessment: “Acts of harassment and  political and administrative pressure against human rights defenders and NGOs also continue, including arrests, interrogation, office raids, confiscation of material, and intimidation designed to prevent contact with international and intergovernmental organizations. […] I have stressed before to the Belarus Government and I shall say it again: states have a duty to protect human rights defenders, journalists and civil society from threats, retaliation or pressure stemming from the legitimate exercise of their work in defence of human rights.”

The human rights situation in the Republic of Belarus has deteriorated since the Human Rights Council adopted the resolution at its 17th session (May-June 2011).

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News of Belarus

Aleh Volchak sentenced to 4 days of arrest

Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 12:56

The human rights activist Aleh Volchak was detained outdoors on 27 January in Minsk and guarded to the Maskouski District Police Department of Minsk.

He was charged with using obscene language in public (Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, “disorderly conduct”) and spent the week-end in custody in the delinquents’ isolation center in Akrestsin Street.

OMCT urges Belarusian authorities to release Aleh Volchak

Submitted by admin on Sun, 01/29/2012 - 14:09

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your intervention in the following situation in Belarus.

Description of the situation:

Human rights activist Aleh Vouchak arrested

Submitted by admin on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 15:24

Vouchak is reported to have been accused of disorderly conduct. He is to be tried on Monday.

Human rights defender Aleh Vouchak was detained in the street at 3:35 pm.

Vouchak’s friends posted on Facebook a policeman came to the activist to check his ID. The human rights defender informed he was being held in the Maskouski district police department, “Nasha Niva” newspaper informs.