The Belarusian authorities have sentenced two men to death for murder. Brest regional court sentenced 30-year-old Vasily Yuzepchuk to death on 29 June; Minsk regional court sentenced 25-year-old Andrei Zhuk to death on 22 July.
In July Amnesty International activists have hold a picket in front of the belarusian embassy in Moscow to protest against the death penalty in Belarus. Here are the pictures of this action.
Viasna 96: Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in June 2009
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
June was marked by trials of the politically motivated criminal cases against participants of the ‘Process of 14’ and the human rights defender Leanid Svetsik. The under-aged Maxim Dashuk was punished with 15 months of personal restraint without direction to open penitentiary institution. Despite the adoption of the law on amnesty, only one participant of the ‘Process of 14’, Mikhail Pashkevich, was amnestied. Personal restraint was replaced with twice larger terms of corrective labor for two other participants of the ‘Process of 14’, Ales Charnyshou and Ales Straltsou.
Emanuel Zeltser was pardoned on 30 June by the Belarusian president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. He was released a few hours later. US national Emanuel Zeltser had been arrested on 12 March 2008 as he arrived by plane in Belarus. Nine days later he was charged with "use of forged documents." He was sentenced on 11 August 2008 to three years in prison for "using false official documents" and "economic espionage" following a closed trial. An appeal to the Supreme Court was denied on 31 October 2008, also in a closed hearing.
No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.
This is the fourth update of UA 121/08 (EUR 49/006/2008).
