In Solidarity with Civil Society in Belarus

"We wish to express our solidarity with all those who suffer from any form of oppression and injustice, and with those in the world who have been silenced or marginalized." - Oswaldo Paya 

"Solidarity is stronger than repression."

August 4th, 2011 was the day Ales Bialiatski was arrested, he is a leading figure in the defense of human rights in Belarus, was the chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", and the vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights. Two years later Ales remains unjustly imprisoned. It is for that reason that activists in Belarus have designated today an International Day of Solidarity with Civil Society in Belarus.

Please take a moment out of your day today to demonstrate your solidarity with civil society and the defenders of a free society in Belarus.  Their struggle is also ours because we are all interconnected. Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail on April 16, 1963 explained it:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea."

He placed this in the American context talking about the American South but 50 years later we understand that it holds true internationally either for good or ill. 

The past half century has demonstrated how agents of injustice cooperate and collaborate in expanding their zone of power of influence. Cubans have seen first hand how the Castro dictatorship has embraced and collaborated with the worse dictatorships on the planet to undermine civil society and human rights standards. The Castro brothers have a close working relationship with Alexander Lukashenko, who has also been called the "Fidel Castro of Europe."

This is not a call to armed intervention or political violence but to solidarity and nonviolent resistance with the forces in Belarus that advocate for justice and freedom. Solidarity is stronger than repression in the same manner that justice is more powerful then injustice.

Below is some information on the current state of affairs in Europe's last dictatorship prepared by Belarus activists:


About Belarus

Why Belarus?

• Belarus is a country with rich history in the middle of Europe
• Belarus is a country where old castles were preserved, where one can still find beautiful national parks and wild nature preserves;
• In Belarus the following famous people were born: revolutionary and national hero of Belarus, Poland and the USA Tadeusz Kościuszko, one of the first publishers in Europe Francysk Skaryna, poet and revolutionary Konstanty Kalinowski, painter Mark Shagal, writer Vasil Bykaŭ, Nobel Prize in physics Zhores Alferov, science fiction guru Isaac Asimov, etc.
• Belarus is a country where lots of our friends and beloved, relatives and colleagues and just many good people live.

In Belarus there are lots of civil society organizations and groups, journalists, activists, artists, musicians, thinkers, philosophers and poets. In Belarus progressive ideas are being discussed, people work on creative projects and new civil universities are established. It means that in that country we can find something what is called all over the world “civil society” and where we can meet people, who are ready to take responsibility for their country and its future.

But at the same time it is very hard to live in this country because of the following:

1. The authorities very seldom pay attention to the National Constitution, governing by the orders of president Lukashenko, and simply ignore or violate international human rights obligations.
2. The Belarus authorities don’t respect the Law. Belarus is the only country of the continent, where European Convention of Human Rights does not apply. On one side, the legislature frequently passes bills that limit civil liberties of citizens; on the other side the executive do it anyways - without any laws. Judicial system doesn’t meet international standards of justice and in cases between the state and a citizen, there is close to zero chance for just verdict.
3. Belarus is the only country in Europe where death penalty is still being applied. In March 2012 two people accused of organizing and conducting a terrorist attack in 2011 in Minsk Metro were sentenced to death and executed. In the opinion of experts and independent observers their guilt wasn’t proven beyond any reasonable doubts. According to the law their bodies are not handed over to the relatives and their burial place remains secret.
4. In the past 10 years every single election has been followed by mass protests and unlawful detentions of hundreds of people (in 2010- more than 700), as well as massive searches (in 2010- more than 1000), including in the offices of civil society groups. Practically, every presidential candidate (except Lukashenko) was either accused of mass rioting, imprisoned or forced to emigrate.
5. In Belarus penitentiaries there are prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, including human right activists, journalists, opposition figures, whose sentences are due to their criticism of the authorities. Belarus authorities frequently use political prisoners in negotiations and political exchanges with European Union, the USA and Russia.
6. In Belarus participation in unregistered organization is a criminal offense punishable by up to two years of prison. This can can apply to any group, for example those that help children in orphanages, clubs of journalism enthusiasts and most of all to any human rights group or political opposition initiative.
7. In Belarus almost all public actions (if they do not support the regime) are prohibited and their participants face arrest for up to 15 days (sometimes, several times in a row). After mass actions of “silent protest” (people gathering together in random squares without signs or slogans and simply clapping) “massively organized inactivity” was also made punishable. During mass actions, a number of people who are detained for swearing or other acts of “hooliganism” increases manifold as the authorities use those petty offenses as pretext for placing activist under arrest for a few days.
8. The authorities of Belarus may prohibit their citizens to go abroad (some recent cases include men over 40 and women - for “avoiding military service” or yet “not implementing court decisions” event if there has been no trials – all as pretexts for placing exit bans on human rights defenders and opposition activists). The authorities also wrongfully refuse entry for citizens of other countries, including Belarus neighbors and partners with visa free border regimes. In 2012 the KGB (still the name of secret service) has been officially entitled to refuse exit for “unreliable people”, whose names have been entered in their “preventive list”.
9. Belarus is a country which suffered the most from Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in 1986 and now the authorities hide the real ecological situation on contaminated areas, planning to build a new nuclear power station with money of Russian citizens. The plans continue in spite of local protests and objections of ecologists.
10. In Belarus for a long time Belarus language was prohibited. Till now, its authorities do nothing to restore historical memory about repressions which occurred in the period of USSR, On the contrary they restore Soviet-era monuments, like “the line of Stalin”.
11. In Belarus students are often expelled from universities and schools under political pressure, first of all, because of beliefs and openly expressed opinions.

Usual and regular reply of Belarus authorities to criticism on behalf of civil society and almost any type of civic activism- is either a ban or arrest.

Of course, we can say that the situation in Belarus is not the worst one, there are some countries where it is much worse
 
BUT  first, it’s not the reason not to do anything for Belarus;
second, if there is possibility to change the situation in this country it means that we can also help other countries.

After all, if we agree with injustice and take it for granted, then it comes into reality.

More information about Belarus you can find here:
Human Rights reports  about the situation in Belarus
The list of Belorussian organizations and groups

International Day of Solidarity with civil society of Belarus

“The solidarity of the shaken can say ‘no’ to the measures of mobilization that make the state of war permanent. … The solidarity of the shaken is built up in persecution and uncertainty: that is its front line, quiet, without fanfare or sensation even there where this aspect of the ruling Force seeks to seize it.” - Jan Patočka

"We wish to express our solidarity with all those who suffer from any form of oppression and injustice, and with those in the world who have been silenced or marginalized." - Oswaldo Paya

In the midst of the pain and sorrow surrounding the untimely deaths of Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero it is still necessary to remember those in other parts of the world suffering repression at the hands of tyrants. Today, August 4, 2012 has been set aside as the International Day of Solidarity with Civil Society of Belarus.

This is what Oswaldo would do if he were physically with us today because he believed in the power of human solidarity and the importance to demonstrate it and apply it for the sake of humanity itself. Oswaldo Paya placed solidarity into the modern day context observing: "The talk today is of globalization, but we must state that unless there is global solidarity, not only human rights but also the right to remain human will be jeopardized."

August 4th, 2011 is the day selected because a prominent dissident and human rights defender Ales Bialiatski was arrested on that day. Ales is a leading figure in the defense of human rights as chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", and vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights. It also important to remember the crucial role played by the arts in civil society to create spaces of freedom.

Furthermore, the tyrant of Belarus visited the tyrant of Cuba in March of 2012 and reached out to cooperate with a fellow repressive dictator. This adds another reason as to why free Cubans and Belarusians need to reach out in solidarity with one another in confronting their shared challenges to obtain freedom.


The organizers of the event published a statement explaining the significance of the day stating that their objective is to attract attention to the human rights situation in Belarus, and to express solidarity with the Belarusian citizens fighting for their civil rights under permanent pressure and harassment. I joined together with other friends in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Belarus's independence from the Soviet Union on August 25, 2011. Today my prayers go out to Belarus's civil society and two Cubans who died under mysterious circumstances on July 22, 2012. At the same time reproducing the important document below released by the organizers of the solidarity day.

Manifest

International Day of Solidarity
with civil society and human rights movements in Belarus

We, the activists of civil and human rights organizations from various countries around the world declare our initiative to establish International Day of Solidarity with the civil society and human rights movement in Belarus on the 4th of August.

Being in the heart of Europe, Belarus is the only country of the continent, where the death penalty is enforced and where the European Convention on Human Rights does not apply.

Even in such conditions, civil society in Belarus is one of the most powerful in the post-Soviet area. Every day, Belarusian human rights defenders provide legal support to dozens of people. The lawyers from Belarus win cases in the Human Rights Committee and other UN bodies. Directors, artists, writers and musicians continue to create. The Belarusian rock-band "Lyapis Trubetskoy" is known all around the world for their songs and civil position, despite the fact that at home they are included in the "black list" of banned artists.

Politicians of our countries criticize the authorities of Belarus, then they sit down to talks; they impose sanctions, but keep on trading; they threaten Belarusian authorities with isolation, at the same time maintaining relations. But leave it to politicians!

In contrast to politicians, we – civil society activists, human rights defenders and simply concerned citizens – consider it important to express our support to the Belarusian civil society, members of which carry on promoting and protecting human rights standards and the rule of law, offering new ideas and initiatives, helping people to meet, talk, write and create. And all of this is taking place in spite of the systematic violations of fundamental human rights: freedom of assembly, association and expression – the foundations, without which civil society can not exist.

We want to draw attention to the situation in Belarus and to show our solidarity with those people who fight for their freedom under constant pressure and persecution. On this day, we’d like the attention of mass media, news agencies and citizens of our countries being as much as possible attracted to what is going on with civil society in this European country, to its problems and difficulties. We want our colleagues in Belarus feel our support to help them go further with strengthening human rights and the rule of law in their country.

On this day - August 4, 2011 - Ales Bialiatski was arrested. He is one of the leading Belarusian human rights defenders, the head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and the vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights. For many people this moment marked a new phase of pressure on human rights defenders and civil activists in Belarus, where massive human rights violations had become common practice.

We have established this day not to support any political opposition. On this day, one should not hear calls to overthrow the existing political regime in Belarus, but calls to comply with international obligations in the area of human rights, undertaken by Belarus.

We believe that freedom has no boundaries. We think that the situation in Belarus should be considered as a challenge for civil society all across Europe and Eurasia. We are convinced that all of this area can not be considered the territory of freedom, as long as there are countries (like Belarus) where freedom is restricted.

We believe that while there is at least one state that easily and with impunity shows disregard for the opinion of its own citizens as well as international norms and principles, such a scenario will be possible in other countries, authorities of which continue seeking new ways of how to silence voices of their critics and opponents, and quickly adopt the "worst practices" of their neighbors. In fact, the only thing we can oppose to it – is our international solidarity.

We will observe this day every year, until the situation of civil society in Belarus changes: until  its authorities put an end to imprisoning people for human rights activities, until there is a guarantee of fundamental human rights: freedom of expression, assembly and association.

Take Urgent Action for Imprisoned Belarusian Human Rights Defender Ales Bialatski

The human rights situation in Belarus in 2011 has dramatically deteriorated in the aftermath of the so-called December 2010 "elections" in which opposition candidates were brutally beaten up, arrested and the election stolen. So far over the course of 2011 over two thousand people have been arrested for engaging in silent protests in Belarus according to the Viasna Human Rights Center. Now the regime in Belarus has drafted a "law" to ban silent protests. In the midst of all this madness human rights defender Ales Bialatski was arrested on August 4, 2011 both the World Movement Against Torture and Amnesty International have taken up his case calling on people of good will to take action. Reproduced below is Amnesty International's urgent action which is active until September 16, 2011.

Imprisoned human rights defender Ales Bialatski

Document - Belarusian human rights defender arrested

UA: 240/11 Index: EUR 49/016/2011 Belarus Date: 5 August 2011

URGENT ACTION

Belarusian human rights defender arrested

Prominent Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialatski was arrested in central Minsk , Belarus, on 4 August . Amnesty International is concerned he is being targeted for his legitimate work .

Ales Bialatski, Chairperson of Human Rights Centre Viasna and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights was detained on 4 August at approximately 16.45 near Victory Square in central Minsk and was held overnight at the Department of Financial Investigations. At 14:00 the same day, the offices of Viasna were surrounded by men in plain clothes. When staff at Viasna left the building they allegedly overheard one of the men on the phone saying that Ales Bialatski was not there.

Ales Bialatski was detained by men in plain clothes claiming to be police representatives of the Department of Financial Investigations. Following his detention, Ales Bialatski was reportedly taken to his apartment, which was searched. He was then taken to the Viasna office which was also searched from 19:55 to 20:50. Documents and office equipment were confiscated from the office, as well as a computer from his apartment. His wife and child, who were also in the apartment, were taken to their summer home outside of Minsk, which was also searched.

Amnesty International believes that Ales Bialatski’s detention is part of a pattern of the ongoing and longstanding harassment of civil society activists and human rights defenders by the Belarusian authorities. Given the unprecedented crackdown on civil society following the Presidential elections in December 2010, Amnesty International believes his detention is politically motivated and intended to obstruct his legitimate work as a human rights defender. Human Rights Centre Viasna has been providing assistance to individuals and families affected by the crackdown.

Ales Bialatski could be held for up to 10 days, during which time he will be investigated under Article 243.2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code (“concealment of profits on an especially large scale”). This carries a sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property. If charged, he will be taken to a detention centre.

Please write immediately in Belarusian, Russian or your own language:

Call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure that Ales Bialatski has full access to all legal safeguards in detention, in accordance with Belarus’ obligations under international human rights law, including access to a lawyer of his choice;

Call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure that any investigations are conducted promptly and impartially;

Urge the Belarusian authorities to stop the harassment and intimidation of civil society and remind them of their responsibility to protect human rights defenders, as set out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

P LEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 16 SEPTEMBER 2011 TO :

President

Alyaksandr Lukashenka

ul. Karla Marxa 38

220016 Minsk, BELARUS

Fax: +375 17 226 06 10/+375 17 222 38 72

Email: contact@president.gov.by

Salutation: Dear President

Prosecutor General

Grigory Vasilevich

Internatsionalnaya str. 22

220050 Minsk

BELARUS

Fax: +375 (17) 226 42 52

Salutation: Dear General Prosecutor

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

URGENT ACTION

belarusian human rights defender arrested

ADditional Information

The last six months have seen an unprecedented deterioration in the human rights situation in Belarus. Key opposition figures have been detained, ill-treated and convicted in unfair trials. Critical NGOs, civil society activists and journalists face continuing harassment.

Human Rights Centre Viasna has been active in Belarus since 1998 and registered as a non-governmental organization in 1999. In 2003 its official status was withdrawn following its work on election monitoring and the authorities have repeatedly obstructed the organization’s official registration. Following the Presidential elections in December 2010, the organization and its staff have come under increasing pressure from the authorities, within a context of widespread harassment of civil society throughout the country.

Name: Ales Bialatski

Gender: m

UA: 240/11 Index: EUR 49/016/2011 Issue Date: 5 August 2011