A/HRC/20/8 Code (“Illegal crossing of State borders by a person previously denied entry into the country”).49 62. The Human Rights Centre Viasna has also been repeatedly targeted by the authorities. Since cancelling its registration in 2003, the Belarusian authorities threatened Viasna Chairman Ales Bialiatski (also the Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights and a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists) with criminal prosecution for “unauthorized NGO activity” (Criminal Code, art. 193.1). The latest warning was issued in April 2011. On 20 December 2010, KGB officers reportedly raided the Viasna offices, seized computers and documentation, and detained 10 staff members, who were released later the same day. On 4 August 2011, Mr Bialiatski was again arrested, placed in a pretrial detention centre of the Ministry of the Interior and charged with tax evasion. On 24 November, he was sentenced by the Pershamayski District Court in Minsk to four and a half years of maximum security imprisonment and his property confiscated.50 Mr Bialiatski was convicted for “concealment of incomes on an especially large scale” (Criminal Code, art. 243.2). The court ruled that Mr Biliatski had intentionally avoided paying taxes from the money he allegedly kept in bank accounts abroad; the court disregarded the fact that the money was not Mr Bialiatski‟s personal income. He appealed against the verdict, which was, however, confirmed on 24 December 2011 by the Minsk City Court. In February 2012, Mr Bialiatski was taken to Babruysk correctional colony No. 2.51 Another Viasna member, Valiantsin Stefanovich, was also found guilty of tax evasion and, on 16 December 2011, the court in Minsk sentenced him to a fine for having concealed income. 63. The defamation campaign launched by Government-controlled media against leaders of the political opposition also targeted human rights defenders and journalists. For example, the Internet website “Traitors” (www.predateli.com), which is linked to the group of supporters of the incumbent President,52 contains names and pictures of human rights activists, journalists and opponents of President Lukashenka and is considered part of a smear campaign aimed at silencing dissidents. G. Administration of justice, right to a fair trial, and independence of judges and lawyers 64. Several lawyers defending opposition leaders arrested after the rally of 19 December 2010 have reportedly faced intimidation and threats. They have been prohibited from revealing violations of their clients‟ rights and the state of their health while in detention; some of them have been able to meet with clients only once since the arrest. Mykalai Statkevich, Zmitser Bandarenka and Siarhei Martseleu were allowed to contact their lawyers only after several weeks of detention. Some were unable to meet their clients privately, their meetings taking place in the presence of an investigator. 65. On 29 December 2010, the Ministry of Justice accused some lawyers of abusing their professional role by “presenting information about the investigation, their clients‟ opportunities to use legal assistance, their clients‟ state of health and prison conditions, and the work of law enforcement bodies of the country in a biased manner”.53 On 5 January 2011, the Ministry issued a warning to several defence lawyers of imprisoned opposition 49 50 51 52 53 16 See Front Line Defenders, www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/14732, 17 March 2011. See Belarusian Association of Journalists, http://baj.by/en/node/9099, 24 November 2011. See Naviny.by, http://naviny.by/rubrics/society/2012/02/17/ic_news_116_387234/, 17 February 2012. See www.lukashenko2008.ru. Front Line: Protection of Human Rights Defenders, appeal of 14 January 2011.