The address in full:

To the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders 

Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, 

We, the undersigned, human rights organizations of the Republic of Belarus and individual human rights defenders in personal capacity, would like to inform you about the warning issued today, on February 16th, 2011, by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus, to the Co-chair of the Human Rights Center “Viasna,” Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski (Minsk, Belarus). 

After the events of December 19th, 2010 in Minsk, Belarusian human rights defenders were subjected to a wave of persecution. Particularly, in the offices and personal apartments there were held searches and confiscation of office equipment and personal things, and the defenders themselves were indicted to administrative penalties in the form of administrative arrest or were questioned by the State Security Committee (KGB) of the Republic of Belarus. You can find the information on the previous actions against human rights defenders and organizations of the Republic of Belarus in the analytical note attached to this letter and prepared by the International Observation Mission in the Republic of Belarus. 

On February 14th, 2011 in the afternoon Bialiatski was called by the vice-director of the department of supervision over citizen’s rights and freedoms of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus Paval Yeliseyau. The officer of the Prosecutor General’s Office’s orally invited Beliatskij for a conversation about “the activity of the Human Rights Center “Viasna.” 

In the morning of February 16th, 2011 Ales Bialiatski received a notice from the Prosecutor General’s office specifying that he is to come on 16/02/2011 at 3 pm for “stating the evidence within the scope of current inspection to the Prosecutor General’s office, address: Minsk, Internacionalnaja str., 24, office 513 to the vice-director of the department of the supervision over citizens’ rights and freedoms Yeliseyau.”

On February 16th, 2011 at 3 pm Ales Bialiatski came to the Prosecutor General’s office of the Republic of Belarus and was at the meeting until 3.20. Beliatskij refused to give evidence referring to the constitutional right not to testify against oneself.

Finally Ales received the “Official warning about inadmissibility of violating the law”  (№0702-17d-2010 from 16.02.2011) signed by the assistant of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Kuklis, in which Bialiatski was warned that the Human Rights Center “Viasna” carries out its activity without having obtained state registration in the prescribed manner, which is a violation of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. 

It should be noted that in the Republic of Belarus the article 193-1 of the Criminal Code (illegal organization of the activity of a public association, religious association or foundation or participation in its activity) is in force, which stipulates as a sanction up to two years of imprisonment. This article of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus is an unjustified limitation of the freedom of association and contradicts the international obligations undertaken by the Republic of Belarus within the UN and OSCE, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

In the aftermath of the above mentioned warning a criminal case may be opened against Ales Bialiatski under article 193-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. 

We ask you to react to this message as soon as possible and take necessary action within your mandate. 

Foundation for Legal Technologies Development, Elena Tonkacheva

Legal Transformation Center, Olga Smolyanko

Center for Human Rights, Raisa Mikhailouskaya

Belarusian Human Rights House, Tatsyana Ravyaka

Committee for Defence of the Repressed “Salidarnasc”, Ina Kulei

Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Aleh Hulak

Human Rights Defender, Graduate of the First Higher Human Rights Course of the Polish Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Barys Zvozskau

Documents: