Sentencing of Viasna Vice-Chairman, Valiantsin Stefanovich

BELARUS: Sentencing of Viasna Vice-Chairman, Valiantsin Stefanovich

Paris-Geneva, December 22, 2011. The Observatory for the Protectionof Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), condemns thesentencing of Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich, Vice-Chairman of the Human Rights Centre“Viasna”, to a fine of 53 million rubles (about 4,840 euros).

On December 16, 2011, another hearing took place against Mr. ValiantsinStefanovich, during which the Partyzanski District Tax Inspection of Minsk sentenced him toa fine of 53 million rubles (about 4,840 euros). This case concerns the appeal lodged by Mr.Stefanovich against a ruling issued on October 19, 2011 requesting him to pay 4,75 millionsBelarusian rubles (about 435 euros) in a case opposing him to the tax inspection of MinskPartyzanski District, on the basis of Article 13.6 of the Administrative Code (“non-paymentor incomplete payment of taxes”).

The Tax Inspection alleged that Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich failed to declaresums of money that it considered as "personal incomes". These sums, which weretransferred on bank accounts in Lithuania by international organizations such as AmnestyInternational and the Danish Institute for Human Rights to support the activities of Viasna, werehowever used in the framework of the activities of the Human Rights Centre (HRC)"Viasna".

The authorities of Belarus were able to open this case against Mr. Stefanovichfollowing the transfer of some banking information by the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice tothe Ministry of Dues and Taxes of Belarus, as was the case for Director of Human Rights CenterViasna Ales Bialiatski, who was condemned to 4,5 years imprisonment on November 24,2011. The fact that the information passed by the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice to theBelarusian authorities was incomplete (as stated in a letter from the Lithuanian Ministryof Justice dated of the end of August 2011) was not taken into account.

During the hearing, Mr. Stefanovich stressed that the administrative caseagainst him was directly related to KGB pressure on the HRC “Viasna”, and recalled the letterof the Head of the KGB to the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus dated November 3, 2010,which stated that the “radical opposition" was financed through “Viasna” and ordered aninvestigation on the activities of Viasna, and more particularly of Messrs. Bialiatski andStefanovich. He also added that tax inspectors had been checking his accounts and those of hisrelatives for years, and had always failed to find any discrepancies between profits andexpenditures.

Indeed, the Observatory recalls that the authorities have been hunting Mr.Stefanovich's resources over the past years. Since 2008, he has been asked on severaloccasions to provide his tax returns, including a tax form on the total income he receivedover 10 years, although he had already presented all those documents to the district taxinspection.

The Observatory further denounces the blatant violation of due process and fairtrial standards. On October 19, 2011, the Deputy Chief of the Tax Inspection Ms.Elena Kutnik, had indeed presented a "decree on administrative violation" to Mr.Stefanovich, in which the verdict had been already filed and signed.

Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich stated that he will appeal against the verdict.

The Observatory strongly denounces the sentencing of and the ongoing judicialharassment against Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich, which merely seem to aim at sanctioning hishuman rights activities and the activities of HRC Viasna, and deplores the continuingviolations of fair trial standards against him.

The Observatory urges the Belarusian authorities to put an end to any kind ofharassment - including at the judicial level - against Mr. Valiantsin Stefanovich as well asagainst all human rights defenders and, more generally, to conform with the provisions of theUnited Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, and to ensure in all circumstances respect for human rightsand fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standardsand international instruments ratified by the Belarusian Republic.

For more information, please contact:

• FIDH: Karine Appy / Arthur Manet: + 33 1 43 55 25 18
• OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: + 41 22 809 49 39