Human Rights Center Viasna is taking part in the international ENEMO mission that is now observing parliamentary elections in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.
Alies Bialiatski, Chair of the Human Rights Center Viasna, Uladzimir Vialichkin, head of the Viasna branch in Brest, and the lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich work as part of the international ENEMO mission (European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations) and observe the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. The elections are due on 27 February on Sunday. The electoral process takes place in complicated civil and political conditions: the power structures are trying to retain the status quo, and the Kyrgyz democratic opposition is working to change the political situation and bring greater democracy to the country. Independent Belarusian observers accredited with the Central Election Committee of Kyrgyzstan will observe in different part of the country. While A.Bialiatski and U.Vialichkin are going to work in constituencies all over the Chui Valley near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Uladzimir Labkovich will leave for a region with a complicated civil and political situation – Naryn Region. The most vigorous civil protests are taking place there, people have blocked the highways in the region, putting nomads’ tents and sawn-off trees on the roads. Thousands of people do not leave the roads, patrol them on horses and keep up fires. The people seized the district administration, forcing the administration to leave. Thus, civilians are protesting against the non-registration of opposition democratic candidates in this region. Last week the civil and political situation in Kyrgyzstan got worse. The democratic newspaper MSN which has been critical of the Kyrgyz President Akaiev now has printing problems. For example, the privately-owned printers that prints this newspaper has been cut off from power. Also, the independent radio company Zaktyk was forced to stop broadcasting. Some democratic candidates were refused registration, which led to popular protests in different parts of the country. What makes the situation still worse is that seven closest relations of Akaiev run for Kinesh (parliament) of Kyrgyzstan, to say nothing of less close relations. The state-owned press print articles to discredit the idea of marking voters, which is going to be used in Kyrgyzstan for the first time and is thought to prevent election falsification. The rumor spread said the marked men will become impotent and that the marks themselves are radioactive.
