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December 19 – year after the elections
On 19 December 2011, the action in memory of the violent crackdown on peaceful protest after presidential elections that happened a year ago was held in Minsk. This year, the rally has again ended with brutal detentions and arrests.
Ales Bialiatski – human rights defender of the year
On 13 December, the traditional prize for the extraordinary achievements in the field of human rights was awarded to five people. Ales Bialiatski was recognised as the human rights defender of the year unanimously.
The president’s administration did not accept the signatures for the abolition of death penalty
On 9 December Belarusian and foreign human rights defenders tried to pass to the administration of Aliaksandr Lukashenka a box with 165,000 signatures of citizens of 30 countries around the world. These people called upon the head of Belarus to abolish the death penalty or to impose a moratorium on its implementation. However, the signatures were no accepted in the administration.
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.
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 .
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.
Ales Bialiatski convicted
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.
Belarus does not satisfy UN Committee against Torture
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.
Action of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski held in Vilnius
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.