English PEN considers the arrests to be in clear violation of the right to freedom of expression and association.

Raid against ‘Speak the Truth’ campaign activists
Vladimir Neklyayev (picture on the left), 63, a poet and author, is the leader of the organisation ‘Speak the Truth’, set up in February 2010. From 2005 to 2009, he was also President of the Belarus PEN Centre, of which he remains a member.

On 18 May, police descended on the homes of members of this and other civil society groups in several cities across the country, including the ‘Speak the Truth’ head office in Minsk.

Wearing bullet proof vests and carrying machine guns, the officers seized computers, mobile phones, memory sticks, books and leaflets, and scores of people were arrested.

Goal – intimidate opposition groups
Three, including Neklyayev, were detained charged under Article 250 of the Criminal Code for "dissemination of false information". Also detained were Andrei Dmitriyev, a leader of the opposition United Civil Party, and Sergei Voznyak (picture on the right), editor of the opposition newspaper Tovarishch. They were released on 21 May 2010.

A ‘Speak the Truth’ activist told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he believed that the raids are aimed at intimidating opposition groups in advance of presidential elections that must take place before February 2011.

In the same article, Neklyayev himself was quoted as saying that his organisation wants to "prompt Belarusian society to realise the real state of affairs in the country where there is little room for the truth but where there are a lot of lies".

Arrests provoked protests
He explained that activists across the country had been gathering government reports that they see as being untrue and publishing them on the internet as part of their campaign. This in turn led to the charges of distributing "false information" being made against him and other activists. The arrests have led to protests by leading academics, writers and activists in Belarus who have also publicly supported the movement.

For more information please go to:
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarus
Charter 97 – interview with Neklyayev’s lawyer

Send an appeal
English PEN asks to send appeals to President of the Republic of Belarus Alyaksandr G. Lukashenka and to the Belarusian embassy in your country:

– Condemning the detentions of Vladimir Neklyayev, Sergei Voznyak, and Andrei Dmitriyev;
– Pointing out that the detentions are in direct violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Belarus is a signatory and that guarantees the right to freedom of expression;
– Calling for an end to the arrests of all writers and journalists held in violation of their rights and an end to further harassment and attacks on the independent media.

Address:
President of the Republic of Belarus
Alyaksandr G. LUKASHENKA
Karl Marx Str. 38
220016 g. Minsk
Belarus
Fax:  375 (172) 26 06 10 or 375 (172) 22 38 72
E-mail: pres@president.gov.by

PEN members may also consider sending messages of support to Vladimir Neklyayev via the Belarus PEN Centre. Please send your messages to sara.whyatt@internationalpen.org.uk and these will be forwarded.

Related links:

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