News on the topic: Mahiliou
10.12.2008 Belarus celebrates 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: about 30 detentions
Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration in Belarus was marked with mass (and in some cases, quite rude) detentions of human rights defenders and civil activists.
03.11.2008 Police detain 65 people coming to ‘Dziady’ action from Mahiliou
65 people who tried to get to Minsk for Dziady rally, were detained in Mahiliou by the police.
29.09.2008 Mahiliou: “MP” Yushkevich obtained victory in packs
“When the election day ballot box was opened, we noticed small packs of ballot papers folded in half (about 6-20 ballot papers in one pack)”. There were at least 6 or 7 packs like this. BRSM observer Raman agrees with that. In fact, from time to time it was he who pointed at such packs of ballot papers, folded in this doubtful manner. Later a big pile of about 200 ballot papers appeared on the edge of the table that was gradually spread among other ballot papers. These were clean unfolded ballot papers ticked off in favour of Yushkevich. BRSM observer Raman also saw that pile. Possibly, there were several piles like that because it was impossible to monitor the actions of all commission members at the same time.” – Ihar Barysau says
26.09.2008 Mahiliou: Information about candidate not posted because… he has no higher education
At polling station # 40 of district # 85 campaign materials of Aliaksei Paulouski are not posted. Aliaksei Paulouski points out, he visited polling stations many times and noticed that some of them failed to place his campaign materials on the board.
25.09.2008 Mahiliou: Human rights defender Barys Bukhel not allowed to be present when precinct election commissions are handing the protocols of election results to the district commission
“Yesterday I made a phone call to district commission # 86, -- Barys Bukhel says. – and expressed the intention to observe the process of precinct election commissions handing the protocols of election results to the district commission”. “I talked to commission secretary Nadzeya Mydzhyna. She told me I had no right to be present during that procedure as it was not the session of a district commission but technical work with the protocols. Ms. Mydzhyna stressed that the law does not provide for presence of observers during that procedure”, -- the human rights defender continues.
25.09.2008 Mahiliou: Police Academy students can’t vote on Sunday
On September 24th, at polling station # 17 of Leninskaya district # 84 of Mahiliouo, it became surprisingly crowded after 6 p.m. It turned out, students of Mahiliou Police Academy came to perform their civic duty, together with their instructors. Obviously, police students will not have any opportunity to cone to the polling stations on Sunday.
24.09.2008 Mahiliou: Meetings with voters are possible only at one place in a district
There are two election districts in Kastrychnitski rayon of Mahiliou: # 86 and # 87. There is only one place for meetings with voters in each of the districts. These are Palace of Culture of “BelAZ-MaAZ” company in district 86 and “Zadniaprouye Ltd.” Club in district 87. Human rights defender Barys Bukhel points out, both buildings are on the outskirts of the city. Voters who live in the center or other parts of the districts have no opportunity to come to the meeting.
24.09.2008 Mahiliou: UDF candidate’s presence "spoiled” the campaign event of the official candidate
Walking by the Square of Stars in the city center, Aliaksei Paulouski saw a youth event organized by city BRSM in support of official candidate Alexander Yushkevich. Aliaksei Paulouski says he and other candidate were not aware of the event which was taking place. Paulouski did not lose his head. He took out a pack of his leaflet and began to hand them out to passers-by. Inna Karatkevich, head of the local BRSM organization, could not stand that. She started to yell at Aliaksei that he was depraving the youth with his leaflets that had not gone through the state censorship.
23.09.2008 Mahiliou: Independent candidate faces censorship of her campaign materials
Candidate in Mahiliou-Kastrychnitskaya district # 86 Natallia Zaitsava faced censorship of her campaign materials. Without her knowledge members of district election commission # 87 made changes in the information poster with her bio. They deleted information that Natallia Zaitsava lost her job not on her own will but due to Edict 760 which forbade individual entrepreneurs to hire anyone but their close relatives from the text. Instead, they wrote “temporally unemployed”. Information that Natallia’s father was a worker for 50 years and grandfather headed a group of city partisans and was killed by the Nazis was deleted too.
23.09.2008 Mahiliou: Ales Silkou’s campaign materials torn down at the gates of Elektrarukhavik plant
“Vital Makaranka, member of my initiative group, posted my campaign poster at the gates of Elektrarukhavik plant, -- candidate Ales Silkou says. – when he came to the plant gates again he noticed that the poster was not there. Instead, there were campaign materials for the pro-governmental candidate Yushkevich hanging on its place”.
21.08.2008 Mahiliou: Members of district election commission proposed people to refuse from signatures for independent candidate
District election commission # 87 has invented a way to withdraw Tatsiana Shambalava from the race. Shambalava is a member of Belarusian Christian Democracy and a candidate on the unified list of UDF.
18.08.2008 Mahiliou: UDF contender received seven letters from financial investigation department of the Committee for State Control
Yury Novikau has received seven registered letters from the financial investigation department of the Committee for State Control. The letters contain summons to come to the financial investigation department and forms he and his family have to fill in.
30.07.2008 Mahiliou region: 24 initiative groups of democratic candidates in 13 districts
24 initiative groups of pro-democratic candidates are registered in Mahiliou region. Head of the election headquarters for Mahiliou region Yury Novikau points out: “all initiative groups of all pro-democratic candidates who wanted to run in the election were registered. They have already started collecting signatures. Candidates had no problems in registering their initiative groups”. “In the beginning 28 representatives of pro-democratic parties were going to run. For various reasons some of them decided not to run”. There are 13 districts in Mahiliou region. Initiative groups of pro-democratic candidates are registered in every district. Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections
28.07.2008 Mahiliou: Members of district election commission did not collect signatures?
Member of Belarusian Helsinki Committee Natalia Samakhvalava suspects, all eight members of district election commission # 87, nominated by signature collection, did not collect signatures for their nomination.
28.07.2008 Mahiliou: Black PR used against independent candidate Aliaksei Paulouski
During two days the initiative group of Aliaksei Paulouski collected 140 signatures. However, the candidate experiences strong counteraction of the authorities in this process.
