Mr. Valentin Sukalo
Chairman
Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus
tel./fax: (375 17) 227 12 25
E-mail: scjustrb@pmrb.gov.by

Mr Vasilevich G.A.
The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Belarus
Fax: +375 17 2264252

Re: Release of of Artsiom Dubski

On 7 July 2009 Asipovichy district court sentenced the youth activist Artsiom Dubski to one year of imprisonment in a general regime colony. Artsiom Dubski was taken to the pre-trial prison right after the announcement of the verdict.

The undersigned members of the Human Rights House Network call for an immediate release of Artsiom Dubski from prison and remind the Belarusian authorities that according to Article 11.1 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, “everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others.”

We also call upon the Belarusian authorities to refuse from the practice of politically motivated reprisals towards the country’s citizens and to completely abolish the penalties to all participants of the ‘Process of 14’ who are serving them now.

Background information
According to the verdict, Artsiom Dubski was found guilty of violation of Article 415 of the Criminal Code (evasion from serving of personal restraint). Bear in mind that on 23 April 2008 Artsiom Dubski, together with some other participants of the ‘Process of 14’ was sentenced to personal restrain under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization of active participation in group actions rudely violating the public order), for participation in the peaceful protest action of entrepreneurs on 1 January 2008 in Minsk.

Human Rights Center Viasna has considered the criminal case against participants of the protest action politically motivated since its instigation, because Artsiom Dubski and other defendants were persecuted for peacefully exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression.

The Belarusian civil society and the international community demanded from the Belarusian authorities to urgently reverse the verdicts to all participants of the ‘Process of 14’ and give them a complete rehabilitation. This demand was also expressed in the latest PACE resolution on Belarus. The authorities demonstratively ignored these calls and sentenced Artsiom Dubski to one years of imprisonment.

Sincerely,

The Human Rights House Foundation, Norway

The Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in Vilnius (Lithuania)

The Rafto Foundation, Bergen

Human Rights House Azerbaijan

Armenian Helsinki Association

Human Rights Centre, Georgia

Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland

Human Rights House Sarajevo (on behalf of the following NGOs):
–   Association of Female Citizens “Renaissance”
–   Foundation CURE
–   Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina
–   Regional Co-ordinator for Youth Groups
–   Serb Civic Council – Movement for Equality – The Council of the Sarajevo Canton
–   Woman and Society Centre

Human Rights House Skopje (on behalf of the following NGOs):
– Association for Democratic Initiatives (ADI)
– The First Children’s Embassy in the World – “Megjashi”
– Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia
– Macedonian Women’s Rights Centre (MWRC) – Shelter Centre
– Polio Plus – Movement Against Disability

Copies have been sent to:

·         UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
·         UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
·         The OSCE/ODIHR, Warsaw
·         The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
·         The Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Norwegian Parliament
·         The Norwegian Embassy in Kiev
·         The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
·         The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs
·         Office of the Embassy of Switzerland in Kiev
·         Mission of the United States of America to the UN in Geneva
·         Delegation of the European Commission to Belarus