Human rights defenders in Belarus are subjected to intimidation and harassment, including judicial harassment, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment.

Human rights NGOs are systematically denied regitration, while the Criminal Code still criminalises members of non-registered groups. According to Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code, the “illegal organisation or activities of public associations, religious groups or foundations or participation in their activities” is punishable with six months to two years in prison.

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, which remains one of the very few legally registered human rights NGO in the country, risks to be closed down at any moment because of allegations of tax evasion on tax-exempt grants from the European Union.

The authorities maintain an hostile attitude towards NGOs and human rights defenders, whose activities are presented as being primarily political and mainly financed by the West. The state-owned media, especially the state television, which is under complete governmental control, are used to stigmatise and discredit the work of human rights defenders.

The authorities continue to ban peaceful demonstrations for spurious reasons, disperse unauthorised demonstrations and arrest people who take part in such demonstrations. The Law on Mass Actions provides local authorities with the right to decide on the date, time and place of any public actions, and to identify places where demonstrations cannot take place. This power is used arbitrarily to hide public actions and protests from the public attention: in most Belarusian towns, demonstrations cannot be held in the city centre. Local authorities also have the power to outrightly ban a demonstration. Participants to unauthorised demonstrations are systematically condemned to administrative arrest or fines.

LGBTI activists in Belarus encounter discrimination and are arbitrarily detained and interrogated due to their work organising events related to LGBTI rights.

URGENT CASES

Belarus: Administrative conviction of human rights defender Mr Aleg Volchak

Post date: 2012/01/31

On 30 January 2012, human rights defender Mr Aleg Volchak was sentenced to 4 days imprisonment for petty hooliganism. Aleg Volchak is head of human rights organisation Pravovaya pomoshch naseleniyu (Legal assistance to the population) closed down by the Belarusian...

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