Belarus: Administrative detention and judicial harassment of Ms. Maryna Kastylianchanka and arbitrary detention and subsequent release of Mr. Aliaksandr Paplauski

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the administrative detention and judicial harassment of Ms. Maryna Kastylianchanka, an independent journalist and member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Viasna” who participated in gathering and documenting information on human rights violations committed in Belarus since August 2020[1], and about the arbitrary detention and subsequent release of Mr. Aliaksandr Paplauski, a volunteer at the HRC “Viasna”.

According to the information received, on November 2, 2020, Ms. Maryna Kastylianchanka was sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention by the Zavodski District Court of Minsk on charges of “participating in an unauthorized mass event” (art. 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences) and “disobeying the legal orders of a police officer” (article 23.4 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Since then, she remains detained in Okrestina detention centre, Minsk.

On October 30, 2020, Ms. Kastylianchanka was arbitrarily arrested along with seven other individuals at a café in Minsk by officers from the Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) for allegedly taking part in an unauthorised rally, chanting slogans and disobeying police orders earlier on the same day, even though Ms. Kastylianchanka did not participate in any rally.

Furthermore, the only evidence taken into consideration by the court was the testimony of the police officers, while no visual images of the rally were presented. Moreover, the court rejected two motions filed by Ms. Kastylianchanka’s lawyer to question the police officer who filed the record of administrative offences against Ms. Kastylianchanka and to call the rest of detainees as witnesses, respectively.

Moreover, on October 30, 2020, Mr. Aleksandr Poplausky was arbitrarily arrested in the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk, where he was monitoring the trials of the detained participants in a peaceful demonstration, for allegedly refusing to leave the courtroom by order of a judge during a break. Mr. Poplausky was charged under art. 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences (“petty hooliganism”) and was subsequently taken to Okrestina detention centre, in Minsk.

On November 2, the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk adjourned Mr. Poplausky’s case to November 17, and he was released pending trial.

The Observatory expresses its utmost concern over Ms. Kastylianchanka’s administrative detention and Mr. Poplausky’s judicial harassment and arbitrary detention, which seem to be only aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities.

The Observatory further condemns the persecution of the members of HRC “Viasna”, including the arbitrary detention of Ms. Maria Rabkova [2], which intensified as a result of the organisation’s steadfast monitoring and reporting of human rights violations that are occurring in the framework of the violent repression of the post-election demonstrations in Belarus.

The Observatory urges the Belarusian authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Kastylianchanka, to immediately and unconditionally release her and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against her as well as against Mr. Paplauski.