In 1997, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. On this day, international and national human rights organizations remind once again that “no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.” Read More
Eduard Lobau gets fined for violation of the regime of preventive supervision
Former political prisoner, co-Chair of “Young Front” Eduard Lobau, who has been under preventive supervision of the police since his release from jail, was punished for its violation. Read More
Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok sentenced to one more year in prison
Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok has been sentenced to one more year of imprisonment as a result of a trial that ended yesterday in a prison in Mahiliou. He was accused of violating prison rules under Article 411 of the Criminal Code. As a result, Mikalai Dziadok will have to spend one year and three more days in penal colony. Read More
Political prisoner Yury Rubtsou files suit to abolish forced labor for convicts
Political prisoner Yury Rubtsou has lodged a lawsuit with the District Court in Pruzhany asking to amend the internal regulations of correctional facilities, which provide for compulsory labor for prisoners in open-type penal colonies, including unpaid community work. The jailed opposition activist has also sent a petition to the Constitutional Court. Read More
Mikalai Dziadok to stand trial on 25 February
The trial of political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok will be held on 25 February in the Mahiliou-based prison No. 4. Read More
Mikalai Statkevich faces two violation reports after transfer to Shklou colony
Political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich has been accused of two violations in just two days of his stay in the Shklou penal colony. Read More
“2015: Who’s next?” Alternatyva presents prisoners calendar
The Alternatyva NGO has released a special calendar dedicated to political prisoners in Belarus “2015: Who’s next?”.
The calendar focuses on 12 people – victims of the most absurd administrative cases, forged by the Belarusian authorities during 2014. Read More
Political prisoners in 2014: 11 – 6 + 1
At the beginning of 2014 the colonies and prisons of Belarus held 11 prisoners, which human rights activists and opposition said were political prisoners. How has the situation changed by the end of the year? Read More
Siarhei Kavalenka arrested for 10 days
The Vitsebsk opposition activist spent three days before the trial in the detention center, having declared a hunger strike. He was taken into custody on December 24 – the day when a white-red-white flag appeared in Vitsebsk. Siarhei Kavalenka was brought to the courtroom in handcuffs, which particularly angered his relatives and human rights defenders. Read More
Political prisoner Eduard Lobau released
Political prisoner Eduard Lobau has been released from penal colony No. 22 in Ivatsevichy. He was met by his family and associates at about 8 a.m. this morning.
According to Eduard Lobau, he was offered three times to write a petition for clemency back in 2011, but he refused. Since then the issue has not been mentioned by the prison authorities. Read More