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Political prisoner Siarhei Kavalenka, who has been on a hunger strike since 20 December 2011, is being force-fed. He has recently been transferred from Minsk prison to a psychiatric hospital of Vitsba-3 colony not far from his hometown Vitsebsk. Human rights defenders call upon the Belarusian authorities to stop the political persecution of Siarhei Kavalenka.

Belarusian political activist Siarhei Kavalenka (right) continues hunger strike in Minsk Republican Prison Hospital, despite his poor state of health: his weight is now about 50 kilograms. The prison hospital administration makes attempts to forcibly stop hunger strike.

The dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on torture at the Human Rights Council once again underlined that States have an obligation to combat torture and to take concrete acts to prevent ill-treatment and torture. , the Human Rights House Foundation expresses its concerns about torture in Armenia and Belarus.

Human rights defenders work to promote and protect rights of all – their work should be promoted and they should to enjoy protection in their work. However, throughout the world, they face harsh repression and often work in an unfavourable environment.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus have to rehabilitate all persons arbitrarily detained and to review and address systemic factors within their legal systems and State apparatus’ which underlie this human rights abuse; States need to stop using arbitrary detention as a repression tool.

Four independent Belarusian journalists have not been allowed to leave Belarus since beginning of March 2012. Authorities offer official explanations that the journalists are debtors in bankruptcy cases or interested parties in relation to debtors.

On 14 March it became known that President Aliaksandr Lukashenka refused to pardon Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou (right) who had been sentenced to death for the terrorist attack in Minsk metro. On 17 March Kavaliou’s relatives received a letter from the Supreme Court informing that his execution was carried out.

Human Rights House Foundation made a statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council on the human rights situations in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Russia, on 13 March 2012.

19 – 25 March, the Belarusian Week will take place in Vilnius. The programme includes different events which will culminate in celebration of Freedom Day. The official opening of the Belarusian Week will take place in Vilnius Municipality on 19 March.