The Viasna human rights center commented on the publication of video recordings of seminars and some documents on propaganda channels, saying that the published materials do not create any new security threats. Some of the materials had previously been distributed publicly, while others had already been in the possession of security forces since 2020.
“On April 8, propaganda channels distributed video recordings of seminars for former Viasna volunteers and observers, as well as selected project documents from the same period, presenting them as a ‘sensation’. The materials cover the period of 2019-2020 and came into the possession of the special services as a result of the persecution of Viasna human rights defenders in Belarus in 2020-2021 through seized data carriers.
We have carefully reviewed and analyzed the content of the published materials and confirm that they do not create any new challenges for the security of the organization and those who are in any way connected with its activities”, Viasna said.
The human rights defenders stressed that some of the materials had been distributed publicly, while others had already been in the possession of security forces and used in criminal cases against the center’s activists.
“We are talking about materials, some of which were indeed recorded and distributed publicly or among Viasna volunteers during that period. Another part of the documents presented had already been in the possession of the security forces in 2020-2021 and was used as part of the Viasna criminal case, under which Ales Bialiatski, Uladzimir Labkovich, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Dzmitry Salauyou were convicted.
The published videos are authentic but do not contain any new information. Some of the published materials were public or partially public in nature. And all of them emphasize that Viasna carried out open and legitimate activities in the field of human rights protection”, the human rights defenders said.
Viasna said there were no signs of hacking or leaks of personal data belonging to people who sought assistance.
“There are no signs of hacking or any recent data leak. There is also no evidence that the personal data of people who have sought and continue to seek help from Viasna has been affected.
Overall, we view the situation as a continuation of information pressure on the Viasna Human Rights Center”, the organization said in a statement.