Communication report and search

OHCHR.org

1 communications found
Date, Country,
Type and
ref. no. of
communication
Mandates Summary Replies received
    21 May 2012
    Belarus
    JAL
  • freedom of opinion and expression
  • freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
  • human rights defenders
  • independence of judges and lawyers
Alleged imposition of travel bans on, due process violations against and sentencing of human rights defenders. According to the information received, on 13 February 2011, the Minsk City Court dismissed Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich’s appeal, upholding an order to pay a fine of 53 million rubles for “non-payment or incomplete payment of taxes”. Mr. Stefanovich is the Vice-Chairman of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”. On 24 January 2012, the Minsk City Court reportedly dismissed the appeal of Ales Bialiatski, Chairman of “Viasna” and FIDH Vice-President, upholding the sentence of four and a half years imprisonment and fines totalling 757 million rubles for “tax evasion on a large scale”. It is alleged that these criminal cases were politically motivated. Reportedly, Mr. Aleh Volchek, Head of Legal Aid to the Population, was sentenced to four days of administrative detention on 30 January for “petty hooliganism” after his organisation had published a report on the trial of Mr. Bialiatski. In March 2012, Ms. Zhanna Litvina, chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), and Messrs. Valiantsin Stefanovich, Aleh Hulak, member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), Andrey Dynko, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper “Nasha Niva”, and Harry Pahanyayla, chairman of the Legal Commission of the BHC, were all allegedly denied permission to leave the country. Viasna, the BHC, the BAJ and Nasha Niva were among the subjects of an earlier communication (see A/HRC/19/44, case no BLR 7/2011).
Alleged victims: 7
More details...
09 Oct 2012