belarus executive summary - US Department of State

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BELARUS 32 Registration procedures required applicants to provide the number and names of founders, along with a physical address in a nonresidential building, an extraordinary burden given the tight financial straits of most NGOs and the fear of individual property-owners to rent space. Individuals listed as members were vulnerable to retribution. The government’s refusal to rent office space to unregistered organizations and the expense of renting private space reportedly forced most organizations to use residential addresses. This allowed authorities to deregister existing organizations and deny their reregistration. During the year the government denied registration to numerous NGOs and political parties on a variety of pretexts, including “technical” problems with applications. Authorities frequently harassed and intimidated individuals who identified themselves as founding members of organizations in an effort to induce them to abandon their membership and thus deprive groups of the number of petitioners necessary for registration. Many of the rejected groups previously had sought and been denied registration on multiple occasions. The government continued deregistering groups during the year. For example, after Center for Developing Volunteerism founder Mikalai Kvantaliyani filed for registration in March, KGB officers attempted to recruit him as an informant in exchange for unimpeded registration and possibilities to receive foreign donations. When Kvantaliyani refused and voiced his concerns to media, the Justice Ministry denied registration. On February 28, the Supreme Court upheld the Justice Ministry’s October 2010 denial of a registration application by the Belarusian Christian Democracy party on the grounds that the party allegedly had provided false information about its founders. This was the party’s third registration attempt, and each time authorities exerted pressure on members to disavow their affiliation with the party, threatening them with dismissal from jobs, expulsion from universities, and criminal prosecution. Party leaders called the refusal “politically motivated,” biased, and “predetermined.” On October 19, the Supreme Court upheld a denial of a registration application by the Tell the Truth movement, led by political prisoner and former presidential candidate Nyaklyaeu. The Justice Ministry refused to register the group in August, citing failure to submit a document confirming the landlord’s ownership of the property intended as the group’s offices. The ministry denied a previous registration application in February. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
BELARUS 33 During the year the Ministry of Justice continued to issue written warnings to NGOs, political parties, and trade unions. For example, on July 28, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal by the BHC of the second warning issued on June 6 by the ministry. This warning was based on the BHC’s refusal to pay taxes on technical aid received in 2004 in the framework of the EU’s TACIS program (a program to promote the transition to a market economy and reinforce democracy and the rule of law), a case on which authorities took no further action. The first warning of January 12 was related to the BHC’s open complaint to the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers on Belarus, which concerned pressure on defense lawyers in the postelection criminal case. The ministry claimed that the human rights group distributed false information and discredited law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. By law two warnings can result in a liquidation suit against an NGO. This allowed authorities to keep the BHC in a tenuous situation and closely monitor its activities. Harassment in the form of inspections by security officials and confiscation of political literature continued. c. Freedom of Religion See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at www.state.gov/j/drl/irf/rpt. d. Freedom of Movement, Internally Displaced Persons, Protection of Refugees, and Stateless Persons The law provides for freedom of movement, including the right to emigrate. However, the government at times restricted the right of its citizens to foreign travel. The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to internally displaced persons, refugees, returning refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and persons of concern. In-country Movement: Passports serve as a form of national identity and are required for permanent housing, work, and hotel registration. Police continued to harass individuals who lived at a location other than the legal place of residence indicated in mandatory stamps in their passports. The law also requires persons who travel to areas within 15 miles of the border to obtain an entrance pass. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Page 1 and 2: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BELARUS Belarus i
Page 3 and 4: BELARUS 3 security or police office
Page 5 and 6: BELARUS 5 and bedding and inadequat
Page 7 and 8: BELARUS 7 bedding, lack of time out
Page 9 and 10: BELARUS 9 to the Minsk diplomatic c
Page 11 and 12: BELARUS 11 The law provides for the
Page 13 and 14: BELARUS 13 The prosecution overtly
Page 15 and 16: BELARUS 15 order to compel their te
Page 17 and 18: BELARUS 17 The law prohibits author
Page 19 and 20: BELARUS 19 Although authorities con
Page 21 and 22: BELARUS 21 welcomed the prosecutor
Page 23 and 24: BELARUS 23 Journalists reporting fo
Page 25 and 26: BELARUS 25 to include government op
Page 27 and 28: BELARUS 27 as a presidential electi
Page 29 and 30: BELARUS 29 Freedom of Assembly: The
Page 31: BELARUS 31 prodemocracy activists f
Page 35 and 36: BELARUS 35 In practice the governme
Page 37 and 38: BELARUS 37 at local polling places
Page 39 and 40: BELARUS 39 pressuring a suspect to
Page 41 and 42: BELARUS 41 disrupted a news confere
Page 43 and 44: BELARUS 43 between ages 18 and 60 c
Page 45 and 46: BELARUS 45 five years in jail. Acco
Page 47 and 48: BELARUS 47 Wheelchair Users estimat
Page 49 and 50: BELARUS 49 17. However, authorities
Page 51 and 52: BELARUS 51 Tight government control
Page 53 and 54: BELARUS 53 year, which gave the gov
Page 55: BELARUS 55 provide workers the righ

belarus executive summary - US Department of State

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