Belarusian law enforcement agencies keep on harassing Internet users who express their alternative views in social networks services. An example is Piotr Filon from Homel. He has been detained by the local police after he posted an appeal to the KGB agents in his www.vkontakte.ru social network account. He furthermore inviteed his friends to a meeting, which was reportedly treated as an appeal to hold an unauthorized rally. As a result, Piotr Filon was fined BYR 105,000. It has been claimed that the incident is due to Filon’s active civil stand. Another example is Nasta Valavikova, participant of the “Revolution through Social Network” online campaign, who has received a warning of possible prosecution for alleged dissemination of appeals to take part in the forthcoming “silent protest” on 29 June. (27.06.2011)

 

The former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, who is serving a prison sentence, will be sent to the most isolated division of the Navapolatsk penal colony. His wife Iryna Khalip learnt this from Maryna Tsitova, the wife of a prisoner of the Navapolatsk colony, who was a member of Andrei Sannikov’s initiative group. The woman has recently visited her husband in the colony. According to her husband’s explanations, a prison block is being prepared in order to keep Sannikov isolated and to prevent him from talking to the other prisoners and to limit his contacts.(27.06.2011)

 

Freedom House International has released its annual report “Nations in Transit 2011”, providing a comparative study of democratic development in 29 countries, including Belarus. According to the survey, most of Belarus’s ratings either worsened or remained unchanged in comparison to the previous year. The report mentions that both the Electoral Process and the situation of Independent Media have been negatively impacted by the 2010 presidential election and its aftermath. It has also been stressed that“freedom of expression and assembly remained tightly monitored and subject to regular crackdowns by the government”. (29.06.2011)

 

Numerous silent protest actions were held on June 29 not only in Belarusian regional centres, but also in less populated towns. Between 10 and 100 people gathered in several cities to show their solidarity with political prisoners. Some of the actions were ended after the participants were warned of possible detentions. In Minsk, more than 150 people were detained in the Minsk rally and stand trials in different courts now. Palina Kuryanovich, an activist of the European Belarus civil campaign who participated in the silent protests has already been sentenced to imprisonment of 15 days for hooliganism in the aftermath of the protests. (30.06.-01.07.2011)

 

At the Belarusian independence day on 3 July, protesters gathered in Minsk and other Belarusian cities late on the day to voice their discontent with President Alyaksandr Lukashenka by clapping their hands in unison. The protesters followed a call of opposition activists, which had been launched on several social-networking websites. Halina Abakunchyk, a reporter who witnessed one of the protests in Minsk said that numerous plainclothes policemen turned up in huge numbers and exchanged blows with demonstrators before detaining dozens of them. According to Abakunchyk, many detainees have been beaten, and several journalists have been detained as well. Opposition groups claim that around 400 protesters were detained countrywide, several of which have already been sentenced to imprisonment of up to 10 days. According to president Lukashenka these protests were part of a foreign-inspired plot to topple him and to threaten Belarus’ independence. (03.07.2011)

 

Sources:

http://www.rferl.org/ (Radio Free Europe)

http://spring96.org/en/ (Viasna Human Rights Center)

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/ (News Center Charter 97)

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