Belarus

Active Cases

Belarus: Residence search of Zhanna Popova and arbitrary detention of human rights defenders Viacheslav Andreev and Olga Karatch

Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of a search of the home of Zhanna Popova and of the arbitrary detention of Viacheslav Andreev and Olga Karatch. Zhanna Popova is executive director of the Vitebsk Kurier (Vitebsk Courier) Publishing House, which publishes the Vitebsk Courier M newspaper. Viacheslav Andreev and Olga Karatch are human rights defenders involved in the Our House Campaign for promotion of human rights. Olga Karatch is the leader of the campaign and of the women's rights organisation Female Centre "Adliga".  

• arbitrary detention
• Belarus
• Front Line
• human rights
• Human Rights Defenders
• Olga Karatch
• residence
• search
• Viacheslav Andreev
• Zhanna Popova

• Belarus

Human rights defenders in Belarus have been subjected to harassment, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, judicial harassment, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, torture, violent attacks, forced disappearances and killings.

According to several sources the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) is the only officially registered human rights organisation in Belarus and it has been subjected to repeated acts of harassment. Independent journalists and international election observers have been persecuted by the authorities for carrying out their legitimate work. The UN SRSG on the situation of human rights defenders in her report on the situation of defenders in Belarus comments on the impact which restrictions on the right to freedom of expression is having on human rights defenders, “Controversial legislation to restrict the possibilities for NGOs, political parties, trade unions, journalists and individuals to express their peaceful opinion is, reportedly, widely used by the Government” (E/CN.4/2006/95/Add.5 page 42). LGBTI activists have encountered discrimination and have been arbitrarily detained and interrogated due to their work organising events related to LGBTI rights and have been prevented attending international events and conferences. There are severe restrictions on freedom of assembly and a number of peaceful demonstrations have been violently suppressed in recent years. The office of the UNDP in Belarus has widely distributed the UN Declaration on human rights defenders.