The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

Leanid Sudalenka, member of the Uladzimirskaya constituency election commission #11 on elections to the Homel oblast Soviet of Deputies, addressed Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, concerning the non-democratic election of Chariperson, Deputy Chairperson and Secretary of his commission.

In Svetlahorsk district, official information about the preparation to the elections to the local Soviets of Deputies is published in the state-owned newspapers that are distributed only by subscription. The electors who aren’t subscribed to these newspapers can find them only in the libraries.

On 9 February Elections as a factor of civil society development, a seminar for Mahiliou ideologists, took place marking the beginning of the Country in the run-up to the elections, a joint project held by the ideological department of the Mahiliou city executive committee and the Mahiliou informational-ideological center and the ‘state NGO’ Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM). The project is destined for ‘informing the population about the pace of the election campaign and increasing its informational, political and legal culture’.

This compilation of materials was prepared in August-September 2009 by a group of NGOs for conveyance to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in conjunction with the preparation of the Universal Periodic Review of the Republic of Belarus' fulfillment of its international human rights obligations. These materials contain references to more detailed reports and publications. The following organizations participated in the preparation of these materials: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), “Viasna” Human Rights Center, Assembly of Democratic Non-Governmental Organizations of Belarus and Congress of Independent Unions (Belarus).