The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

25.03.2014 Babruisk observers file complaints

A number of polling stations in Babruisk, where representatives of local democratic forces were running, were visited by unauthorized persons on the main voting day, including senior officials: City Executive Committee Chairman Dzmitry Bonakhau, his deputy Aliaksandr Markachou and others. Independent observers say that they openly gave orders to the election commission chairman.

25.03.2014 Police, village soviet checking on Zhyznewski’s nephew ahead of Freedom Day demonstration in Minsk

A nephew of a Mikhail Zhyznewski, a Belarusian young man killed in Kyiv in late January, has been visited by police and contacted by the village soviet over his plans to participate in a "Dzen Voli" (Freedom Day) demonstration in Minsk on March 25.

24.03.2014 Results of local elections: 88% districts uncontested

The election observation campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" have summed up the results of this year’s local councils elections.

24.03.2014 Three Fair World activists elected members of village councils

The Left Party "Fair World" will have three deputies in the rural councils of Orsha district, Vitsebsk region, namely Anatol Hotsman, Yury Kurhanau and Zhanna Frankova, Radio Free Europe’s Belarus service reports quoting the Party’s Deputy Chairman Valery Ukhnaliou.

24.03.2014 Rerun needed in 7 constituencies in Belarus

18,809 deputies have been elected. The turnout was 77.3% – 5,391,103 people voted.

24.03.2014 National Bolshevik activist Dzmitry Paliyenka detained ahead of Freedom Day

Dzmitry Paliyenka, an activist of the National Bolshevik movement, was detained this afternoon in Minsk.

24.03.2014 BCD Secretary sentenced to 2 days in jail

The Kastrychnitski District Court of Minsk heard today the case of the Executive Secretary of the organizing committee of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy" Dzianis Sadouski. The activist was charged under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code (disorderly conduct). The case considered by Judge Siarhei Hermanovich.

24.03.2014 Journalist in Hrodna charged with illegal production and distribution of information

A Hrodna member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Ales Dzianisau has been accused of allegedly committing an administrative offense under Part 2 of Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code, illegal production and distribution of information. Now the freelance journalist faces a fine of 20 to 50 base units.

24.03.2014 UCP activists gets five days in jail

UCP member Anton Zhylko stood trial today in the Court of Minsk’s Partyzanski district on charges of distributing leaflets advertising Freedom Day celebrations expected on March 25 and authorized by the officials.

24.03.2014 Monitoring Report on Local Elections of the 27th Convocation

The observation was carried out by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" within the frames of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

23.03.2014 Freelance photographer not allowed to shoot at polling station in Barysau

Valiantsina Ziankova was going to cover the process of voting at polling station No. 59 in Barysau district.

23.03.2014 Police detain candidate in Khotsimsk

Valery Karankevich, a candidate for the Mahiliou Regional Council running in Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 and at the same time a candidate for the District Council of Khotsimsk, detained by police at about 8 p.m. and taken to the local police department.

23.03.2014 Observer in Homel denied access to information and removed from polling station

At the Homel-based polling station No. 2 of Navabelitskaya constituency, Chairman of the election commission refused to provide information to observer Kanstantsin Zhukouski. The election official, Andrei Charnou, according to the observer, behaved "brutal".

23.03.2014 Viasna presents annual review of human rights violations

The book "Situation of Human Rights in Belarus in 2013" features an analysis of the major events that influenced the human rights situation in the country during the past year, as well as the most obvious and typical violations.

23.03.2014 Unsealed ballot box found at polling station in Brest

On March 22, at polling station No. 19 in Brest observers found an opened ballot box. According to the electoral law, voting results should be found invalid due to such violations, but none of the officials came to the polling station to fix the violation, BelaPAN said.