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On June 15 journalists from Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine received awards for their constructive and devoted work for the free press in Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belarus. The “Free Press of Eastern Europe” prize was also given to a newspaper from Dagestan and a news portal in Armenia for the work they do despite the pressure, persecution and censorship.

Days after a statement by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media about the importance of freedom of expression on the web, Belarusian KGB detained Internet-activists and tried to delete hundred-thousand-strong dissident groups in the most popular social networks of the country. Fortunately, deleting a social media community is not so easy.

With the emergence of economic problems such as lack of foreign currency, rising prices and shortage of goods, pressure put on Belarusian journalists has significantly increased, as government blames them for “creating buying fever.” Human rights defenders and journalists in Belarus and from abroad consider it a sign that the propaganda machine of the official Minsk “does not work anymore.”

The Human Rights House Foundation and the Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius are taking firm measures to ensure that the June session of the UN Human Rights Council adopts the resolution on situation in Belarus and appoints a Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in the country.

Is the economic downturn in Belarus likely to change the attitudes of the government towards the human rights and democracy? How should we view the events after the presidential elections in Minsk – an attempt of the authorities to suppress “mass unrest” and reintroduce “law and stability” in their country, or as a violent crackdown of rights and freedoms? Should we turn a blind eye on rights of common Belarusians now, when Western powers and Russia are re-considering another deal with the regime of Mr Lukashenka?

Is the economic downturn in Belarus likely to change the attitudes of the government towards the human rights and democracy? How should we view the events after the presidential elections in Minsk – an attempt of the authorities to suppress “mass unrest” and reintroduce “law and stability” in their country, or as a violent crackdown of rights and freedoms? Should we turn a blind eye on rights of common Belarusians now, when Western powers and Russia are re-considering another deal with the regime of Mr Lukashenka?

These and other questions will be discussed during a press-conference at the Belarusian Human Rights House at Latako 3 in Vilnius on 31 May, at 14.00. Answers to these questions are supposed to provide guidelines for strategies to address the rapidly-changing situation in Belarus.

On 13 May, “Stop the witch hunt in Belarus” open hearings in the Lithuanian Seimas brought together prominent politicians, human rights defenders and civic activists from Belarus, Lithuania etc. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, the opening of a photo-exhibition was organised by the Belarusian Human Rights House during the hearings.

The draft Strategy of Belarusian Human Rights Movement was adopted by the 2nd Belarusian human rights forum in September 2010. The draft was elaborated by the Expert group which consisted of the experts from the leading Belarusian human rights NGOs, such as Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, human rights center “Viasna”, Center for Legal Transformation, Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs of Belarus.

The leading Belarusian opposition politician and former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov has been sentenced to five years hard labour for his protest against the falsified elections of December 2010. Sannikov, the leader of European Belarus, was detained after protests against the disputed re-election of Alexander Lukashenko on 19 December last year. The trial of Sannikov’s wife Irina Khalip, a journalist with Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, began last week.