Front Line is deeply concerned by reports of the failure of Belarusian authorities to investigate two attacks against human rights defender Yana Paliakova. Yana Paliakova is a human rights lawyer, an advocate of democratic reform and a member of the Human Rights Alliance of Belarus.

Further Information

posted 05/11/08 On 9 October 2008, Yana Paliakova was attacked as she entered her home in Salihorsk. An unidentified man approached her, hit her on the back of the head and threatened her, saying, “if you won’t shut up, this will be your last warning”. She called an ambulance and was brought to hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion. Members of staff at the hospital then contacted the police who subsequently took her to the police station to lodge a complaint. At the police station Yana Paliakova felt ill but when she tried to go outside the policeman seized her by her sweater and pushed onto the floor causing a bruise on her hip.

Yana Paliakova believes that these attacks and other acts of intimidation are linked to a complaint she lodged at the Public Prosecutor´s office against the Salihorsk police on 1 September 2008. On 31 August 2008, Yana Paliakova was reportedly stopped by the district policeman V. A. Pugachev and two men in civilian clothing who drove her to the regional office of Internal Affairs in Salihorsk where she was given documents to sign. When she began to read these documents she was allegedly hit on her arms and legs by V.A. Pugachev. A subsequent medical examination documented bruises on Yana Paliakova´s arm and shins.

Despite Yana Paliakova´s lodging a complaint at the Public Prosecutor´s office concerning the police attack on 1 September 2008, no inquiry into this attack has been launched yet. On 8 September she sent the complaint to the District Prosecutor´s office. On 11 September, the Prosecutor´s office of Saligorsk region responded, refusing to launch a criminal case. On 17 September, she sent the same complaint to the Regional Public Prosecutor Office and on 11 October to the General Prosecutor´s Office. To date, none of these requests have been addressed.

As a human rights lawyer, Yana Paliakova has defended many cases which implicated the local police, including a case in 2006 which resulted in the dismissal of a policeman. During the Belarusian parliamentary elections campaign in August 2008, Yana Paliakova had been campaigning by collecting signatures for the opposition candidate, Volha Kazulina. From 26 August 2008, Yana Paliakova received a number of intimidating phone calls from individuals identifying themselves as KGB officials who tried to meet her to talk about her participation in the election campaign.

According to human rights defenders in Belarus, Yana Paliakova was particularly targeted by local police due to her defence of victims of police brutality. They believe that her participation as an opposition supporter in the election campaign was used by the Salihorsk police as an opportunity to increase their intimidation of Yana Paliakova since other opposition supporters were not physically attacked by the police. Front Line expresses its concern for the physical and psychological integrity of Yana Paliakova.