Polatsk City Court Punishes Election Observer

The member of Belarusian Helsinki Committee Uladzimir Amosaw was an observer at election circuit #89 in Polatsk district. On 13 October, during the early voting, he phoned to the district police board and said that the head of the commission sat in a separate room with his friends and drank alcoholic beverages.

In three hours the police came to the polling station and took the head of the commission for medical expertise, which, according to the official version, found no alcohol in his blood. That’s why the observer was charged with slander and a case was brought against him.

According to Mr. Amosaw, this case is inspired by the authorities and the witnesses who were present tat the polling station on 13 October were psychologically pressurized and didn’t come to the trial.

According to RFE/RL