Watchdog

RFE/RL Belarus Service's video of the protest and its dispersal.

MINSK -- The Vyasna center in Minsk has officially protested the dispersal by police of a demonstration planned to coincide with the arrival of Russian troops for joint exercises, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.

Vyasna alleges that the authorities failed to respect protesters' rights when they acted against dozens of the activists on September 9.

The group wants the prosecutor to pursue the charges.

Police detained more than 20 demonstrators, 17 of whom faced trial and were fined.

Vyasna's statement says there is evidences proving that law enforcement officers were rude and violent to the detained activists, both on the square and once detainees were in custody.

Vyasna says a fair and thorough investigation will help prove Belarusian authorities meet their international obligations concerning human rights.

Prosecutors in the Russian city of Novorossiisk are demanding the closure of a local human rights organization that they describe as guilty of "extremist activities," RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

At one of its public gatherings, the nongovernmental organization Committee for Human Rights issued the slogan: "Nobody Gives You Liberty, You Have to Take It!"

Local authorities claim the phrase is an extremist call for mass disorder.

The chief of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alekseeva, told RFE/RL that the authorities are fighting with political dissent instead of genuine extremism.

Alekseeva says a murky definition of "extremism" in Russian legislation is the major problem.