Source: Viasna Belarus Human Rights Center in English
Paris-Geneva, February 16, 2021 – Starting early this morning, the Belarusian police, State Security Committee (KGB) officers and members of the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption have been carrying coordinated searches and arrests of human rights defenders and journalists. While the information remains scarce, this is another escalation in the 191 days of violent crackdown on civil society.
Since the early morning of February 16, 2021, at least 25 human rights defenders and journalists across Belarus have seen their houses and offices searched. Many among them have been detained. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” are amongst the main targets.
Paris-Geneva, February 16, 2021
– Starting early this morning, the Belarusian police, State Security Committee (KGB) officers and members of the
Main Department for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption have been carrying coordinated searches and arrests of human rights defenders and journalists. While the information remains scarce, this is another escalation in the 191 days of violent crackdown on civil society.
Since the early morning of February 16, 2021, at least 25 human rights defenders and journalists across Belarus have seen their houses and offices searched. Many among them have been detained. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” are amongst the main targets.
February 15, 2021
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in
Belarus.
The Observatory has been informed about the new criminal charges against
Maria (a.k.a Marfa) Rabkova, Coordinator of volunteer services at the Human Rights Center “Viasna” who notably participated in documenting evidence of torture and other inhuman treatment of detained participants in the post-election demonstrations in Belarus.
On February 11, 2021, the Investigative Committee of Belarus charged Maria (Marfa) Rabkova with “incitement of racial, national, religious or other social enmity or discord, committed by a group of persons or resulting by negligence in the death of a person or other grave consequences” and “involvement in a criminal organization” (Art. 130.3 and Art. 285.2 of the Belarus Criminal Cod
Paris-Geneva, February 15, 2021
– The Observatory and League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) are extremely concerned by the conviction and detention of human rights defender Reza Eslami for allegedly cooperating with the US government over a human rights course. Photo of Reza Eslami. Credit unknown
On October 20, 2020, Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolution Court in Tehran held its first hearing in the case of
Reza Eslami, an Iranian-Canadian Associate Professor of Human Rights and
Environmental Rights at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University, on charge
of “cooperation with the US hostile government against the Islamic
Republic system”. This accusation stems from his participation in
In Iran, human rights defenders are frequently arrested without charges, held in prolonged pre-trial detention without access to legal representation of…