The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 6 Dec 2010

06.12.2010 Orsha: Lukashenka’s proxy violates electoral laws

According to the electoral legislation, the Orhsa Town Executive Committee determined the places for electoral meetings of presidential candidates and their proxies. However, in fact this ruling concerns all candidates but Lukashenka.

06.12.2010 Human rights defender Siarhei Rusetski detained on the Ukrainian border

On 5 December the Belarusian border guards headed by major S.Soika detained Siarhei Rusetski, a human rights defender from Biaroza at the frontier point Khatsislau. At first they checked his passport for a long time. Then they took it away and brought it to their stationery device. After this the human rights defender was set down his train.

06.12.2010 Don’t Maladechna police know anything about electoral campaign?

On 4 December in Maladechna the police detained four young activists who take part in the electoral campaign of the presidential candidate Ryhor Kastusiou.

06.12.2010 Mahiliou region: acts about violation of the rules of canvassing drawn on three candidates

The acts about violation of the rules of canvassing were drawn against three presidential candidates – Ryhor Kastusiou, Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Vital Rymasheuski. The documents were passed to the Central Election Commission.

06.12.2010 Minsk: election commissions are still recommended to organize brigades of ‘observers’

Several days the authorities held an educational seminar for the heads of the precinct election commissions of the Zavadski district of Minsk. The seminar was lead by the chief specialist of the organizational and personnel department of the Zavadski District Executive Committee Iryna Yanushevich.

06.12.2010 Dobrush: electoral influence through children

The state-owned newspaper Dobrushki Krai assures the readers that the Election Day will become a holiday.

06.12.2010 Unauthorized picket in the center of Minsk

On 6 December a group of women who disagree with the court verdicts on the civil and criminal that concern them and their relatives held an unauthorized picket in Svabody Square in Minsk.

06.12.2010 Salihorsk: CIS observers met only with state officials

As we learned, the observers of the observation mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States Albert Druzhinin and Vasiliy Astreyko came to Salihorsk. They met with a representative of the Salihorsk District Election Commission and visited several election precincts in Salihorsk and the surrounding villages. They didn’t hold any meetings with the local human rights defenders or independent observers.

06.12.2010 Masty: police demand explanations from members of electoral team of Vital Rymasheuski

In the morning of 6 December the local police inspector came to the apartment of Alena Davidovich and asked who had delivered the agitation materials of the presidential candidate Vital Rymasheuski which she had posted in the town together with her friends.

06.12.2010 Vitsebsk: members of electoral team of Ales Mikhalevich threatened with beating

According to Ales Halavan, he and other members of Mikhalevich’s team face obstacles while handing leaflets to passers-by. In particular, they were expelled from the territory of the shopping center Evicom by its guards who stated that the activists had no right to hand out leaflets there and needed to apply to the presidential administration for permission.

06.12.2010 Distributor of Vitebskiy Kurier fined 700,000 rubles

Siarhei Kandakou was detained on 31 October while throwing newspapers into postboxes in block 5 of house 28 in Tserashkou Street in Vitsebsk.

06.12.2010 Young Front activist gets fined for posting ads on notice boards

The administrative commission of the Maskouski district of Minsk (headed by ) sentenced Eduard Balanchuk to pay 105,000 rubles (about $35) for posting Young Front adverts on the notice boards at the entrance of multi-stored houses in the town of Babruisk. The activist was informed about it by a special letter which he received on 3 December.

06.12.2010 Workers are dismissed from Pinskdreu after explosion

20 people have been fired already ‘upon mutual agreement’, informs Narodnaya Volia.

06.12.2010 Spontaneous meeting of dwellers of Uruccha-2 suburb

On 3 December more than 300 dwellers of the Minsk suburb Uruchcha-2 held a spontaneous assembly against the construction of multi-stored houses on the children’s playground.

06.12.2010 Forced subscription to state-owned press continues

The subscription campaign has started in Belarus. The ideological departments of the district executive committees are again sending Plans of organizational measures to conduct subscription to printed mass media to state enterprises and institutions.