The Human Rights House Foundation has sent a letter today to the General Prosecutor´s Office of the Republic of Belarus, expressing regret over the decision of the Vitebsk Court on 27 May to sentence Paval Liavinau, member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), to 10 days´ administrative imprisonment and a fine of 700.000 rubles (328 USD). Read the full letter below. (05-JUNE-08)

The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Belarus
Mr Vasilevich G.A.
220050 Internacionalnaja 22, Minsk
Tel/fax +375 17 2264360; +375 17 2264358

Oslo, 5 June 2008

The Human Rights House Foundation regrets the decision of the Vitebsk Court on 27  May 2008 to sentence Paval Liavinau, member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), to 10 days’ administrative imprisonment and a fine of 700 000 rubles (about 328 US dollars).

Pavel Levinau, member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), is a prominent human rights defender and is known for his active work for human rights and freedoms in the Vitebsk region of Belarus. Mr. Levinau participated in the study trip to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg at the invitation of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe from 3 to 6 March 2008.

On 27 March , Paval Levinau was detained and accused of breaching art. 17.1 and art. 23.4 of the Code of the Administrative Offences. The reason is that he was at the place where KGB officers conducted a search of the journalist Barshcheuski´s apartment in Vitebsk. Being at the location Paval Levinau carried out his duty as a human rights defender to monitor the state representatives´ actions.

The Human Rights House Foundation asks the Belarusian authorities, including its judiciary, to recognise the right to be a human rights defender. The court’s decision to sentence Pavel Levinau, is one of many cases in Belarus, where human rights defenders are not treated in accordance with international standards. We want to remind the Belarusian authorties to Article 1 in the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which states: “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”.


Sincerely yours,


Maria Dahle
Executive Director
Human Rights House Foundation

Copies have been sent to:
Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
The OSCE/ODIHR, Warsaw
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Norwegian Parliament
The Human Rights House Network