Books about human rights violations confiscated by customs officers

The book Human Rights Situation in Belarus in 2014 and its English translation were detained by customs officers at Kamenny Loh border crossing point.

Aliaksandr Dzerhachou, a human rights defender from Smarhon, tried to carry several copies of the book in his car across the border, Viasna human rights centre reports.

Chief customs inspector Shumski from the Ashmiany customs department made an act of customs examination of the car and an act of the seizure of goods for personal use that were imported from Lithuania to Belarus. Forty seven copies of the book are likely to be sent for an examination, which will determine if it is allowed to bring such books into Belarus.

A similar situation took place at the beginning of July 2013, when 40 copies of Ales Bialiatski's book Enlightened by Belarus were seized from Tatsiana Raviaka by Belarusian customs officer at Kamenny Loh border crossing point and sent for an examination to check if the books were extremist. After two examinations, Tatsiana Raviaka was ordered to re-export 40 copies of the book back to Lithuania, where the book had been published. Judge Tatsiana Yemelianovich said the examinations were unacceptable but she took them into account as an opinion of specialists and forbade to bring the books into Belarus.

“It is due to our authorities that Belarus remains closed to free speech, sealed for uncontrolled thoughts of human rights defenders. The authorities seize the books that contain the truth which is bitter for those who rule the country. The authorities do not have the courage to face the truth.

When I was in prison, I wasn't allowed to get some books from outside A closed and non-free country is like a prison,” head of Viasna human rights centre Ales Bialiatski said.

Viasna human rights centre reviews the human rights situation in the country in the annual Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus.