23.07.2008 Homel: First initiative group denied registration

On July 22nd election commission of Homel district # 33 denied registration to Piotr Kuznetsou’s initiative group. During the session of the commission it turned out that not all documents were correct. However, the commission members did not say a word when the documents were submitted. The documents lacked information about the workplace of the UDF candidate.

23.07.2008 Mahiliou: BPF and PCB are least represented in district commissions

93 people became members of district commissions through signature collection, 27 people were nominated by work collectives, 12 – by BRSM (pro-governmental youth union), 9 – by Belarusian Association of Veterans, 7 – by Belarusian Union of Women, 7 – by Belaya Rus organization, 3 – by Communist Party of Belarus, 3 – by Belarusian Trade Union of Agroindustrial Complex, 2 – by Belarusian Association of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan, 2 – by Republican Party of Labor and Justice, 1 – by Belarusian Agrarian party, 1 – by pro-democratic Party of Communists of Belarus, 1 – by Liberal Democratic Party, and 1 – by BPF Adradzhennie NGO.

22.07.2008 KGB search Young Front office

The Young Front office was searched yesterday. Office equipment and informational materials, calling to boycott the parliamentary “elections”, were seized. As one of the Young Front leaders Artur Finkevich told to the Charter’97 press center, people in civvies watched outside the building of the office on Karol Street for more than an hour and tried to force the door. After 10.00 pm KGB officers managed to enter the office: they burst into it when one of the members of the organisation tried to leave the office. During a search, conducted by KGB and militia officers, office equipment, stickers, information materials, posters, calling to boycott the “elections” were seized. The activists, who were in the apartment, weren’t allowed to phone.

22.07.2008 90% of members of election commissions are “Belaya Rus” members

90% of members of the district election commissions in Smarhon are members of the republican public association “Belaya Rus”.

22.07.2008 Property of Siarhei Skrabets’ parents confiscated

On July 21 Minsk city court issued a ruling to confiscate property belonging to the parents of the oppositional politician, the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Siarhei Skrabets.

22.07.2008 Is “Long live Belarus” a slogan fearing regime?

Stas Senakosau, a minor activist, was kept in the police department of Leninski district of Minsk for 3 hours.

21.07.2008 Orsha: official violating election legislation elected deputy chairman of election commission

On July 16th Orsha city district election commission held a meeting. It had organizational issues on the agenda. Natallia Zakharankava was elected chairperson of the commission. Zakharankava is an executive officer of Orsha city executive committee. Aleh Kazlou, head of the city executive committee’s sports department, was elected her deputy.

21.07.2008 Illya Bohdan: “About 100 persons were arrested in blast case. All of them were called political”

The released opposition activists tell how many people are in reality detained in the case related to the blast in Minsk on July 4.

On July 20 after 11 a.m. activist of the Belarusian Popular Front Anton Koipish and Illya Bohdan were released from the remand prison in Akrestsin Street, Minsk. They were detained for 10 days as suspects in a criminal case relating the blast at the concert on July 4 in Minsk dedicated to Independence Day. Charges were not brought up against them.

21.07.2008 Prisoners of Babruisk penal colony slit wrists

Prisoners told they suffered from unbearable pressure of the colony administration, so they decided on a mass suicide.

Prisoners phoned to editorial offices of independent Belarusian media – RFE/RL and “Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi”. A man phoned to “KP v Belarusi” and introduced himself as a prisoner of the 2-nd Babruisk penal colony. He said the pressure of the administration of the colony is unbearable and that is why a mass suicide of prisoners is scheduled for 3.00 pm on 18 July. “Come here! We won’t allow doctors to us, we’ll bleed...” he said.

18.07.2008 Babruisk democrats did not get into election commissions

Several Babruisk pro-democratic activists were nominated to district election commissions in Babruisk. They collected signatures in their support. However, none of them were included in the commissions.

18.07.2008 Membership of election commissions almost does not change during four election campaigns

In Maladechna city district # 70, out of 13 commission members, 8 used to have appropriate positions during the last election campaigns – the parliamentary elections and referendum of 2004, the presidential election in 2006, and the local elections in 2007. In Maladechna rural district # 71, 6 (out of 13) commission members have already served as commission members during previous elections. Probably, the authorities want the “reliable” people to be commission members.

18.07.2008 District commissions still haven’t started their work

BHC observer Eduard Balanchuk did not manage to get to Maladechna rural district commission # 71 on July 17th. He was told the commission still had not started its work and still had no office.

18.07.2008 Polatsak: Opposition members who “will not hinder the process” included in election commissions

Members of opposition parties were included in some district election commissions (one to each). Thus, PCB member Liubou Shchadrova became member of commission # 28 (Polatsak city district), and UCP member Alexander Yudau became member of Miory election district commission # 24.

18.07.2008 Less and less transparency in Hrodna region

Information about creation of district election commissions in Hrodna region is less open than it used to be during the last parliamentary elections in 2004. For example, now newspapers do not publish detailed information about each of the members of the district election commissions. For instance, Vaukavysk newspaper Nash Chas of July 16th, 2008 published only the names of the commission members at district # 48. By the way, BSDH representative Siarhei Antoshankau was not included in the commission.

18.07.2008 Lists of initiative groups to be submitted by July 24th

CEC chairperson Lidia Yarmoshyna informs, lists of initiative group members and applications fro registration of these groups are to be submitted to district election commissions by July 24th inclusive.