The Observatory for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against
Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH),
has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in
the following situation in Belarus.
New information:
The Observatory has been informed about the recognition of Viasna Human Rights Center (HRC Viasna) as an “extremist formation” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus.
On August 23, 2023, the Ministry of
Internal Affairs issued decision No. 26EC “On the recognition of a group
of citizens as an extremist formation and the prohibition of its
activities” regarding HRC Viasna.The information was initially shared on
August 23, 2023, on the Telegram channel of the Main Directorate for
Combating Organised Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs of Belarus, and on August 24, 2023, the decision was officially
published.
HRC Viasna and all its branches were
recognised as an extremist formation for allegedly “organising
activities aimed at preparing attacks on the sovereignty and public
security of the Republic of Belarus, discrediting and insulting
officials.”
This decision means that any
individual involved in any transfer of information to or collaboration
with representatives of HRC Viasna will be recognised as a participant
of the extremist formation and can be prosecuted under Articles 361-1
(Creation of an extremist formation or participation in it) and 361-4
(Promotion of extremist activity) of the Criminal Code of Belarus and
face up to seven years’ imprisonment.
Previously, on August 9, 2023, the
Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) issued a decision “On
recognising a group of citizens as an extremist formation and banning
its activities,” declaring the Homiel regional branch of HRC Viasna as
an extremist formation and adding them to the “list of organisations
involved in extremist activities.” On August 14, 2023, the KGB also
added the social media accounts and website of the Homiel branch of HRC
Viasna to the country’s List of Extremist Content.
The Observatory underlines that
reprisals against HRC Viasna and its members aim at making impossible
documentation of and reporting about human rights violations in Belarus
and are part of a broader crackdown on civil society in Belarus
following the mass protests against the 2020 Presidential election
fraud. HRC Viasna is one of the leading Belarusian human rights
organisations and has long been at the forefront of the Belarusian human
rights movement.
The Observatory believes that
recognising HRC Viasna as an extremist formation is a further step in a
campaign of repression against its members and supporters. Belarusian
authorities have consistently used “extremist” charges to cut human
rights organisations from supporters, exposing anyone engaging with them
to administrative and criminal persecution. Currently, five HRC Viasna members are in long-term imprisonment on trumped-up charges: chairman Ales Bialiatski, deputy chairman Valiantsin Stefanovic, lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich, Volunteer service coordinator Marfa Ryabkova, and volunteer Andrei Chapiuk. The Observatory calls once again for their immediate release.
The Observatory strongly condemns
the recognition of HRC Viasna as an “extremist formation”, which seems
to be only aimed at punishing the organisation for its legitimate human
rights activities.
The Observatory urges the
authorities in Belarus to immediately repeal the decision to recognise
HRC Viasna as an “extremist formation” and to put an end to the judicial
harassment of all human rights defenders and organisations in the
country.
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