The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The US Embassy calls on the Belarusian authorities to carry out an “open and unbiased” the facts of violations during the local council electoral campaign.

As BelaPAN learnt from the press service of the American diplomatic mission, as far as the embassy knows, there have been reports about violations on the election day and during the electoral campaign. In particularly, there were reports about “harassment of and pressure on independent candidates, restrictions during electoral campaign, violations at early voting and vote count, restrictions of activity of local and international observers.”

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe freezes high-level contacts with Belarus due to violation of democratic standards.

The resolution was adopted by a majority of votes at a PACE session in Strasbourg on April 29.

The resolution was adopted with 58 out of 67 votes in favour, 6 against and 3 abstentions, BelaPAN reports.

Aleh Ramashkevich, ex-candidate for the Malaya Berastavitsa Village Council, was fined BYR 875,000 for posting canvassing leaflets on building walls, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

On 26 April junior counselor of justice Siarhei Dzezhka, prosecutor of Hantsavichy district, issued an official warning to Aliaksei Bely, editor-in-chief of the ‘Hantsavitski chas’ independent newspaper and the paper’s journalist Katsiaryna Kurlovich, for allegedly publishing false information on the local council elections in the paper’s issue of 16 April 2010, the press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.

Siarhei Panamarou, publisher of the ‘Boiki Kletsk’ independent newsletter, was fined BYR 350,000 for insulting a representative of the local housing department, the Nasha Niva newspaper reports.

In the comments to articles at charter97.org website the Prosecutor-General’s Office discovered "insults and defamation".

It has been stated today at a press-conference by a journalist of charter97.org website Natallya Radzina.