OMCT Briefing
The forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the arrest of Raman Pratasevich, a Belarusian blogger and journalist, has brought the spotlight back on the worsening state of human rights in Belarus.
Raman’s family learnt about his detention pretty much like the rest of the world: from the news on Sunday May 23. The 26-year-old has not been allowed to contact them. If his parents are lucky, they might be able to see him in person at his trial. Usually though, when the criminal prosecution is politically motivated, not only are family meetings forbidden during the investigation phase – which can last for months – but most trials are held behind closed doors.
Aleh Hrableuski. The director of the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Siarhei Drazdouski remains under house arrest, while the lawyer of ‘Viasna’ HRC
Dzmitry Salauyou is under a restriction order.
The Observatory urges the Belarusian authorities to put an end to any acts of harassment against human rights defenders, local human rights organisations, public associations and their members, and to immediately and unconditionally release the above-mentioned human rights defenders.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Belarus to urge them to:
Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Natallia Trenina, Tatsiana Hatsura-Yavorskaya, Yuliya Semenchanka, Hanna Sakalouskaya, Volha Shapakouskaya, Enira Branitskaya, and all other human rights defenders in Belarus;
Belarus: Judicial harassment of six human rights defenders
09/04/2021
Judicial harassment /
Arbitrary detention
April 9, 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Belarus. Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed about the judicial harassment against
Enira Branitskaya, lawyer and human rights expert, having cooperated with Human Constanta [1], as well as of the arbitrary detention of
Natallia Trenina,
Hanna Sakalouskaya, and the arbitrary detention and subsequent release of
Volha Shapakouskaya, five members of the Belarusian public association ‘Zvyano’ (“Chain” in English) [2] , amid the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and organisations in Belarus.
Joint Statement on Belarus: End Reprisals Against Human Rights Defenders hrw.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hrw.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
5.03.2021, 15:12
PHOTO: VIASNA
The human rights center has reacted to the criminal case fabricated against it by the authorities.
The Main Department for Investigation of Crimes in the Sphere of Organized Crime and Corruption of the Central Office of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus is reportedly investigating the activities of the Human Rights Center Viasna , the HR defenders report.
The criminal case was opened under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order). At the moment, the case involves active investigative actions, including searches in the organization’s local offices and in the apartments of Viasna members, interrogations of activists and other procedural actions.