Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska released but remains a suspect; Volodymyr Yavorskyy barred from returning to Belarus for 10 years
On 8 April 2021, the detention of woman human rights defender Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was extended for a further 10 days, while the charges pending against her remain unknown. On 5 April 2021, the woman human rights defender was detained following a search of her office and home, carried out by law enforcement officers on suspicion of “education or other preparation of persons for participation in group actions that grossly violate public order, as well as financing or other material support of such activities” under Part 3, Article 293 of the Criminal Code.
Tanya Hatsu
ra-Yavorska is a woman human rights defender and the director of the public association “Zvyano” (Link in the chain). The organization assists people in difficult life situations through fundraising and public campaigns, is involved in human rights education and advocacy. Tania Hatsura-Yavorska organises an annual human rights documentary film festival, Watch Doc Belarus, which aims to bring public attention to human rights issues in Belarus and the wider region, as well as numerous other cultural projects.
On 15 April 2021, woman human rights defender Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was released from detention centre No.1 on Volodarskaya street in Minsk, after being detained for 10 days. The woman human rights defender remains a suspect in a case opened against her on charges of “organization of group actions that grossly violate public order” (Part 1, Article 342 of the Criminal Code), and has been obliged to pledge that she will not leave the jurisdiction. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of three years’ imprisonment.
On 12 April 2021, the home and office of Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska were searched a second time by law enforcement officers, following the first search on 5 April 2021. During the three-hour raid, old documents and phones no longer in use were confiscated. Volodymyr Yavorskyy, prominent Ukrainian human rights defender and lawyer, and Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska’s husband, was in the house during the raid, following which he was taken for questioning. During the interrogation, Volodymyr Yavorskyy was subjected to physical and psychological abuse and was denied access to his lawyer. Following the interrogation, the human rights defender was informed that he must leave Belarus with his children within 48 hours, and was threatened that if he failed to do so, he would be arrested and his children would be placed in State institutions. Volodymyr Yavorskyy was also informed that he was banned from re-entering Belarus for 10 years, however he was not provided with any documentation outlining this ban. The human rights defender has been assigned a witness status in the criminal investigation into his wife, and has also signed a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from discussing the details of the case.
On 14 April 2021, unknown individuals visited Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska in detention centre No.1 and reportedly promised to release her and allow her husband to remain in the country if she accepted a proposed offer, but the woman human rights defender refused to communicate with them. That same day, 14 April 2021, Volodymyr Yavorskyy left Belarus in adherence with the order he received to do so. The following day, Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was granted release from detention on condition that she would not leave the jurisdiction as she remains a suspect in the criminal investigation.
Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned by the designation of Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska as a suspect in the criminal investigation and by the order restricting her movement, which it believes is in retaliation for her legitimate and peaceful efforts to promote and protect human rights in Belarus. The organisation condemns the targeting of the woman human rights defender’s husband, Volodymyr Yavorskyy, and their family more broadly, as an attempt to silence Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska and deter her from continuing her human rights activities. Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Belarus to drop the investigation into Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska and revoke the ban issued against Volodymyr Yavorskyy and allow him to safely return to Belarus without fear of reprisal for doing so.
On 8 April 2021, the detention of woman human rights defender Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was extended for a further 10 days, while the charges pending against her remain unknown. On 5 April 2021, the woman human rights defender was detained following a search of her office and home, carried out by law enforcement officers on suspicion of “education or other preparation of persons for participation in group actions that grossly violate public order, as well as financing or other material support of such activities” under Part 3, Article 293 of the Criminal Code.
Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska is a woman human rights defender and the director of the public association “Zvyano” (Link in the chain). The organization assists people in difficult life situations through fundraising and public campaigns, is involved in human rights education and advocacy. Tania Hatsura-Yavorska organises an annual human rights documentary film festival, Watch Doc Belarus, which aims to bring public attention to human rights issues in Belarus and the wider region, as well as numerous other cultural projects.
On 30 March 2021, the exhibition “The machine is breathing, and I am not”, dedicated to challenges faced by medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, opened in the space “Mesca” (Place) in Minsk, which Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was involved in the organisation of. The exhibition and the “Mesca” space were forced to close on 2 April 2021 however, due to alleged violations found by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the sanitary service. The management of the pandemic remains a politically divisive issue in Belarus, as in response to government inaction and disregard for the severity of the pandemic and its implications, civic initiatives were more efficient than state institutions in lobbying and organizing local businesses and volunteers to provide hospitals with personal protective equipment and necessary medical supplies.
On 5 April 2021, Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska was detained and placed in the Akrestina Detention center. Her house was searched as part of a criminal investigation on charges of “education or other preparation of persons for participation in group actions that grossly violate public order, as well as financing or other material support of such activities” (Part 3, Article 293 of the Criminal Code). During the search, all Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska’s electronic equipment was seized, as well as documents and money. On the same day, the office of “Zvyano”, as well as the homes of staff of the association were searched by officials from the Department of Financial Investigations. On 8 April 2021, Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska’s detention was extended for an additional 10 days. On 11 April 2021, the woman human rights defender was placed in the detention centre No.1 on Volodarskaya street, Minsk and has access to her lawyer. At the time of writing, the charges against Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska are not yet known.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned by the detention of Tanya Hatsura-Yavorska, as it believes that she is being targeted solely as a result of her work, promoting and protecting human rights in Belarus. Since the results of the 2020 Presidential elections were announced on 9 August 2020, there has been a significant increase in the incidents of judicial harassment and acts of reprisal against human rights defenders, their organisations and journalists from law enforcement officials in the country. Front Line Defenders expresses concern that these actions may have a chilling effect on the promotion and protection of human rights in Belarus, and may be unconducive to the creation of a safe and enabling environment in which defenders can carry out their work.
