The main factors that influence the human rights situation are listed in the first part of the review. According to the authors, the human rights situation in Belarus for the reporting period remained complicated and has not undergone major changes. The European vector in the foreign policy remained insignificant, despite the Vilnius summit of the Eastern Partnership. The authors of the report also note passing of the death sentences, continued pressure on political prisoners and political persecution of activists, the continuing trend to tacit consideration and adoption of amendments to the legislation.
An important event for the Belarusian human rights community, according to the authors, was the organisation on 26-27 October III Belarusian Human Rights Forum, which was attended by over 110 delegates from 25 organizations, Belarusian and foreign guests.The participants of the forum presented guidance on the definition of "political prisoner", developed by a group of human rights defenders from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. The main purpose of that was to unify approaches to definition and use of the concept "political prisoner". Adopted guidance sparked heated debates in the opposition community in Belarus. Overall the Forum facilitated greater consolidation of human rights sector in the country.
The second part of the review reflects the situation with freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and the administration of justice in the country.
According to the authors, in the described period the media situation in Belarus was in a "frozen" state, but among the main events of the second half of 2013 there are such highlights as termination of criminal prosecution of journalists S. Wazniak A. Fiaduta, I. Khalip and A. Poczobut, detentions and warnings to journalists, restrictions on freedom of activity on the Internet and the use of anti-extremism legislation to suppress freedom of expression.
During the second half of 2013 in the sphere of freedom of peaceful assembly, as the authors of the review note, the regular prohibitive practice remained. Local authorities in most cases refused the applications for events and participants of peaceful assemblies that were not disturbing public order were brought to administrative responsibility for their participation in such events. In general, the freedom of peaceful assembly in practice has been very limited, primarily due to imperfect legislation in force. These are limitations on the place for holding mass event, the organizers’ need to pay for services for its conduct, unspecific wording of the law and so on.
The review authors noted that despite the adoption of a number of legislative acts affecting the interests of non-profit organizations in the second half of 2013, the legal environment for them as a whole has not changed. The practice of arbitrary denials of registration of public associations was continued. Serious problem for many non-profit organizations was the requirement to have an office in the administration building, since many of the office stock is either owned by the state and local authorities, or private businesses that easily yield to pressure from the authorities.
During the given period, according to the reviewers, the courts continued to show a dependence on the executive branch. Politically motivated processes were accompanied by gross violations of international standards in the field of justice and national legislation. On a positive note, the authors mentioned cases of cancellation of judgments by the higher courts in connection with procedural violations. There are number of cases when judges return the materials of cases on administrative violations in relation to political and social activists for revision. At the same time, it should be noted that these cases always ended in conviction.
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