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Appeal to President Lukashenko
The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights together with the Horizon Group Against the Death Penalty called President Alexander Lukashenko to pardon Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov, the two men sentenced to death for bombing the underground railway in Minsk. According to the organisations such a ‘humanitarian gesture’ would be ‘worthy’ of the nation led by Mr Lukashenko.
Parallel Conference of Civil Society of OSCE countries in Vilnius
On 5 December the participants of parallel Conference of Civil Society of OSCE countries in Vilnius discussed the problematic issues related to human rights in Belarus.
Паралельная канферэнцыя грамадзянскай супольнасці АБСЕ ў Вільні
5 снежня на форуме грамадзянскай супольнаcці АБСЕ ў Вільні абмеркавалі праблемныя пытанні, звязаныя з правамі чалавека ў Беларусі.
PEN-delegation denied entry to Belarus
A delegation with members from Norwegian and Danish PEN was denied visa at the Minsk airport and had to return home. At the Minsk airport in Belarus on December 5th a delegation with members from Norwegian PEN, board member- William Nygaard, publisher- Trygve Åslund and secretary general- Carl Morten Iversen) and Danish PEN board member and journalist- Niels-Ivar Larsen was denied visa and, consequently, entry to Belarus
The defamation reform in Russia fails to protect freedom of expression
According to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as many as 8-10,000 defamation cases a year had been filed against journalists and media outlets for defamation in Russia. Recent amendments to Russia’s defamation legislation – including partial decriminalisation of libel and insult – will not improve the situation for the media in the country, says Article 19.
Russia: elections do not reflect the will of the people
according to Bjørn Engesland the general secretary of Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Duma elections in Russia from the very start seem to be unfair and undemocratic. There have been serious complains regarding election monitoring, vote counting and other related procedures. Independent national observers all over the country have registered countless violations in the election legislation, including pressure against voters to vote for the ruling party United Russia
Belarus may define “torture”
Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus supports the introduction of the definition of “torture” to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus .
У Беларусі можа з’явіцца вызначэнне тэрміну “катаванне”
Генеральная пракуратура Рэспублікі Беларусь выступае за ўвядзенне ў Крымінальны Кодэкс Рэспублікі Беларусь вызначэння паняцця «катаванне».
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus has decided: death
The Supreme Court has decided to sentence to death Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou, accused of organizing the terrorist attack in Minsk metro. The judge explained that such a decision was adopted considering exceptional danger to society posed by Kanavalau and Kavaliou. The verdict can not be appealed.