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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.

On Thursday, 24 November 2011, a Belarus court handed down a four-and-half-year prison sentence to Ales Belyatsky, human rights activist and the head of the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’. Belyatsky was also ordered to pay a fine of 721 million Belarusian rubles ($83,000). The conviction was based on the information on Mr Belyatsky’s bank accounts in Poland which the Belarusian authorities had received from the Polish Prosecutor General’s Office.

In its Concluding Observations, the Committee against Torture makes a first harsh observation of the dialogue: Belarus’ delayed report prevented the experts for almost a decade from analysing the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

On November 25 rally of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski and other political prisoners in Belarus was held near the building of the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius.

On November 24 judge Siarhey Bandarenka announced sentence to the head of human rights centre “Viasna”, Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski. Sentence: Four and a half years of maximum security colony with confiscation of property.

On 23 November 2011, Judge Siarhei Bandarenka of Minsk Pershamaiski District Court announced its verdict to sentence Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski to 4,5 years imprisonment with confiscation of his property.

Three United Nations independent experts warned that the new legislative amendments recently adopted by the National Assembly of Belarus may severely and arbitrarily restrict the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression, and breach international law, and called Ales Bialiatski to be released.

78 human rights organizations, members and partners of the Human Rights House Network, resolutely condemn the court verdict to sentence Ales Bialiatski to 4,5 years imprisonment with confiscation of his property. We call upon the Belarusian authorities to immediately drop all charges against Ales Bialiatski and stop his criminal prosecution.

The Belarusian side has sent a response to a joint letter drafted by nine international human rights organizations, in which human rights defenders expressed concern regarding amendments to the legislation as well as their consequences and urged the Council not to adopt the changes. However, the official Minsk did not pay attention to the letter, and the amendments were adopted.