http://humanrightshouse.orgenHuman Rights House Foundationniels.jacob@humanrightshouse.org (Niels Jacob Harbitz)Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:57:31 GMTWed, 08 Sep 2010 12:55:17 GMTNoop 2.360http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/15004&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/15004.html&d=1In the modern world young age is no longer a prerequisite for learning; it is a life-long process. Belarusian lawyers, participants of the International Law in Advocacy project, understand it more than anyone else. From 28 to 30 Augusts they gathered for their second study session in Vilnius.Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:57:31 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14976&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14976.html&d=1Aleh Byabenin, right, one of Belarus’s leading journalists and human rights activists, and among the founders and leaders of charter97.org website, has found dead in his summer cottage not far from Minsk. Contrary to suggestions that Byabenin must have committed suicide, no suicide note was found and no other possible indicators suggest the same.Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:09:58 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14954&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14954.html&d=1Belarusian Internet-providers are eagerly preparing for 1 September. From that day on they will have to filter illegal materials on by-net, the Belarusian segment of World Wide Web. Despite the criticism of international organisations and quite substantial financial losses this next step to increase the Internet censorship in Belarus is ready to be fully implemented.Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:28:23 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14905&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14905.html&d=1The government of Belarus is silencing voices for the proper investigation of political disappearances. Amid growing demands to address the issue, officials ban public events and arrest activists. Having been missing for more than 10 years, some political opponents of President Aliaksandr Lukashenka are still stirring up public activism in this country.Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:06:05 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14869&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14869.html&d=1There is an increasing harassment of the Belarusian press in the run-up to the presidential election that has been scheduled for next spring. What with the information ministry’s repeated warnings, police raids, tax inspections and the country’s new media law, press freedom is now severely compromised in Belarus.Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:07:05 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14837&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14837.html&d=1On 5 August, Leninski District Court of Minsk rejected a claim against Belarusian independent newspaper Narodnaya Volia. The high-profile case was initiated by a pensioner who tried to "defend honor and dignity" of all the World War II veterans, allegedly offended by the daily. Narodnaya Volia was assisted by the Belarusian Association of Journalists.Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:21:07 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14802&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14802.html&d=1The plaque’s open ceremony in honor of Larisa Geniush, the famous Belarusian poetess, did not take place in Vaukavysk, Belarus. The plaque disappeared from the wall of private house. Local historian Mikalai Kavalchuk has hung up the plaque. He was arrested and was released from the police station only in three hours.Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:19:56 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14790&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14790.html&d=1Uladzimir Niapomniaschykh, democratic activist, was arrested in Homel, Belarus. Police didn't like an inscription on his T-shirt “For Belarus without Lukashenka”. Authorities for propaganda in the country usually use a similar slogan (“For Belarus”).Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:48:39 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14744&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14744.html&d=1On July 27 in the morning Aleh Surhan, a political prisoner, was released from the colony in the town of Hlybokae. He was met by friends and supporters. Aleh Surhan came up to the car of the people who met him under guard, as policemen followed him for the event to be quick and without any noise, Radio Svaboda informs.Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:49:25 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14730&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14730.html&d=1On 27 July, Belarus marks the 20th anniversary of independence. As democratic forces are trying to celebrate the liberation from the totalitarian Soviet system, the authorities are enjoying impunity in their Soviet-style crackdown on opposition. Opposition activists face detentions and brutal assault, but no policeman is prosecuted for mistreatment.Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:49:05 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14740&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14740.html&d=1On July 15th a symbolic pillow battle took place in Minsk. It’s some kind of comic action timed to 600th anniversary of Battle of Grunwald, a significant event in Belarusian history. The action was organized in a flash-mob manner and has not any politician context. But this was not enough to separate its participants from power dispersion. Mass arrests and dispersals were done in the center of Belarusian capital.Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:34:49 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14677&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14677.html&d=1The main part of non-governmental weekly’s “Nasha Niva” circulation didn’t reach the news stalls in Belarus last week. The issue has only reached the subscribers and a few newsstands in the main cities of the country. It was reported about Russian NTV channel’s “God Father” newsreel in this issue of “NN”. In this documentary Belarusian leader is shown in a negative way. So disappearance of the issue of “NN” is nothing short of sad sign of Belarusian censorship.Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:27:55 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14589&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14589.html&d=1Such calls may soon appear on Belarusians websites. There was a criminal case initiated after a libel comment on the local website in Vileika town, near Maladzechna (Belarus). Users who had left their comments to the news on the site are prosecuted for aspersion and insulting. Corresponding authorities are now trying to identify these people. This is the second attempt of the authorities to punish for incorrect comments in the web during recent time.Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:43:46 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14527&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14527.html&d=1“In Belarus everything is the other way around – during the E-day procedures are more-less followed, but in the evening, during the count, there is total lawlessness at polling stations,” some observers from the team of more than 30 participant of the international observation mission at the presidential election in Poland shared. The joint Belarusian, Lithuanian, and Swedish mission was organised by the Election Observation: Theory and Practice project with support of Belarusian HRH in Vilnius.Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:28:27 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14431&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14431.html&d=1A mission of more than 30 Belarusian, Lithuanian and Swedish young election observers are heading for Poland for this weekend. The monitors are going to observe the quality of election as Poles are voting for a new Head of State after the death of President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash in Russia.Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:06:28 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14420&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14420.html&d=1On 10 June, the Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs of Belarus, together with the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius, held a briefing “Art. 193-1: Criminal Prosecution for NGOs’ Activity in Belarus”. The event took place several hours before the start of IV Regional Congress of NGOs, which gathered representatives of Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Baltic States in Vilnius.Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:06:09 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14391&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14391.html&d=1A month after the newspaper Viciebskij Kurjer was banned from circulation, the Vicebsk city court has fined Aleh Barshcheuski, its editor-in-chief for keeping on distributing it. Thus, Belarusian authorities have made yet another violation of freedom of expression and the media.Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:42:12 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14365&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14365.html&d=11 July 2010 will mark a new era for Belarusian internet users. Many internet websites may be blocked. On that day, regulations prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Information will come into force, concerning material that contradicts law – pornography, extremism, terrorism, etc. Experts say the new regulations can affect sources that may pose a threat to the authorities.Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:08:06 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14308&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14308.html&d=1United Centre of Initiatives for Belarus (JuBIC), Swedish International Liberal Centre (Silc), European Humanities University (EHU) and Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius (HRH) announce a new call for applications to participate in “Election Observation: Theory and Practice“ project in 2010. The first mission for new participants will take place in October in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Latvia.Fri, 28 May 2010 18:40:48 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14295&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14295.html&d=1Belarus inaugurated yet another ‘hunting season’ on pro-democracy activists. On 18 and 19 May police and KGB conducted mass searches in Minsk, Hrodna, Brest, Homel, and Mahiloŭ. Civic campaign Tell the Truth!, which in several months had managed to capture country’s attention with its original and offbeat actions, became a target of the authorities. Searches and arrests were also conducted else where and with other organisations.Wed, 26 May 2010 15:17:06 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14267&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14267.html&d=1Slavic Gay Pride 2010 was forcefully dispersed by police and its participants arrested on 15 May in Minsk. After 2 days in a detention centre gay rights activists received steep fines instead of apologies and moral compensation.Tue, 25 May 2010 13:05:17 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14237&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14237.html&d=1Harassment of human rights defenders in Belarus has not gone unnoticed by the UN Human Rights Council. A report for 2009, produced by the watchdog's Special Rapporteur, contains concerns about a 'very restrictive' environment in which Belarusian human rights defenders are able to operate. The case of Leanid Svetsik, right, duly covered on this website, is given in-depth attention.Wed, 19 May 2010 12:12:07 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14221&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14221.html&d=1Representatives of the Belarusian NGOs held a number of events on 12 May in Geneva that were connected with the report of the Belarusian authorities within the guidelines of the procedure of the Universal Periodical Review at the UN Human Rights Council.Fri, 14 May 2010 21:35:00 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14202&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14202.html&d=1On 6 May Supreme Court sentenced Mikalai Autukhovich to 5 years and 2 months in a maximum security penal colony for illegal possession and transportation of 5 shotgun shells and a hunting rifle. Charges of terrorism against state officials were not substantiated, but this case had already been dubbed as ‘a new political order’ of the authoritiesTue, 11 May 2010 16:17:34 GMThttp://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14173&d=1http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Articles/14173.html&d=1On 3 May in Geneva the UN Council on Human Rights began its session within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review procedure. On 12 May Belarus will go through this procedure as the UN member-state where the HR situation causes concerns of the international community.Sat, 08 May 2010 08:18:35 GMT