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Human Rights Center Viasna is extremely concerned with the intensification of repressions against representatives of democratic opposition during the last months. Well-known public and political activists of Republic of Belarus are put behind bolt and bar for the reasons that are invented or provoked by the authorities… (29-MAR-2005)

On 22 March Mikalai Statkevich was summonsed to the Investigative Committee of the Main Board of Internal Affairs of Minsk City Executive Committee, where he was told that he had been found suspected in the criminal case initiated for mass actions of protest staged against the referendum results. M.Statkevich had to provide a written undertaking not to leave the city. (29-MAR-2005)

In October 2003 the chair of the taxi agency Mikola Autukhovich has already held a hunger-strike to protest against illegal actions of the local authorities. That time he managed to defend his business. Now he and his drivers have to do it again. (29-MAR-2005)

Over the period of December 10-14, 2004 hundreds of people were subject to assault and torture. Residents of the small Bashkirian town Blagoveschensk and its surroundings, were taken from the streets, bars, discos and even their homes without any explanations and brought to the local police station. The police used their night-sticks and severely beat those who asked questions. After several hours in the police station, a lot of the fearful people were brought to the hospital. (29-MAR-05)
 

Human rights activists were shocked to discover that imans at some of Cairo’s leading mosques were preaching against two of their most prominent colleagues – and that the driving force behind these organised sermons of hate appeared to be an Egyptian government ministry. Leading human rights campaigners say imans’ attacks incite murder. Index on Censorship’s  Rohan Jayasekera reports. (25-MAR-05)
 

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (photo) issued a decree on pardon on the occasion of spring holiday Novruz on 19 March 2005. A total of 115 convicts have been pardoned, of which 114 ones have been freed from jail and the sentence term of one convict has been halved. Among the pardoned there are 53 convicts, who were considered political prisoners by the Council of Europe. (23-MAR-2005)
 

Human Rights Center Viasna is gravely concerned with the violations of human rights that took place at Orsha penal colony. On 7 or 8 March Mikhail Marynich had insult there. According to our information, the prison guards refused to give medicines to him for four days. (22-MAR-2005)

The negative attitude of Belarusian authorities to free distribution of information is not a secret. The state tries to control mass media and demands from them to comply to the standards, invented by the officials. The new department that will control electronic mass media, was established at the Ministry of Justice. At the same time, an internet forum in Hrodna was closed because its users criticized the authorities.(22-MAR-2005)

The official Minsk reacted to the wave of protest against the introduction of the 18% tax with fines and arrests to the active participants of the actions. The repression campaign is nationwide and touches representatives of different regions of Republic of Belarus. (22-MAR-2005)

The meetings of businessmen against the 18% value added tax on the goods that are imported from the Russian Federation. This tax was introduced as a result of the agreement with the Russian Federation that was signed by Belarusian officials. (22-MAR-2005)

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev (photo) issued a decree on pardon on the occasion of spring holiday Novruz on 19 March 2005. A total of 115 convicts have been pardoned, of which 114 ones have been freed from jail and the sentence term of one convict has been halved. Among the pardoned there are 53 convicts, who were considered political prisoners by the Council of Europe. The pardoning decree came four days after the Council of Europe, warned the Azeri government that its membership in the organization could be jeopardized if the prisoners were not released. (23-MAR-2005)

Human Rights Center Viasna is gravely concerned with the violations of human rights that took place at Orsha penal colony. On 7 or 8 March the political prisoner Mikhail Marynich had a stroke there. According to Viasna, the prison guards refused to give medicines to him for four days. (22-MAR-2005)