19.09.2008 Svetlahorsk: Chairman of district commission hinders speeches

In Sasnovy Bor town of Svetlahorsk district voters had an opportunity to attend a meeting with candidates to the Chamber of Representatives. During the meeting chairman of Svetlahorsk district election commission Siarhei Merkulau interrupted the speech of Sviatlana Mikhalchanka agent of the pro-democratic candidate Siarhei Daineka, two times.

19.09.2008 Vitebsk: Campaign posters produced, not allowed for posting

Candidate in Vitebsk-Chyhunachnaya district # 19 Andrei Levinau produced 300 campaign posters. However, in the majority of cases it turned out it is impossible to post them. Heads of state institutions and organizations either refuse to post them or allow doing that, but call the next day, apologize and say they have to take them down on the order of the local administration.

19.09.2008 Horki: Law does not exist for pro-governmental candidate

Agents of candidate Andrei Yurkou demand to cancel registration of pro-governmental candidate Tatsiana Asmalouskaya. They have already submitted the official statements to district election commission # 81. The ground for the statements was the meeting of candidate Tatsiana Asmalouskaya with voters in the place which was not determined by the city administration.

19.09.2008 Vitebsk: Candidate may be isolated for 15 days

On September 18th Andrei Levinau, candidate in Vitebsk-Chyhunachnaya district # 19 was handed a copy of the report about administrative infringement under Article 9.1 of the Administrative Code. The article provides for up to 15 days of imprisonment. Andrei is accused of inflicting trivial injuries to A. Zakharau, master of sports in boxing, striking him in the small of the back on August 8th.

19.09.2008 Vitebsk: Tsiany-Talkay pop group promotes official candidates

On September 16th Vitsbichy newspaper (founded by Vitebsk city executive committee), # 107 reports about performance of Tsiany-Talkay pop group at an election event. The event was held by candidates running in Kastrychnitski rayon districts: Vitebsk-Chyhunachnaya district # 19 (official candidate Siarhei Siamashka) and Vitebsk-Kastrychnitskaya district # 20 (official candidate Andrei Lasiakin).

19.09.2008 Prosecutor’s office does not see transgression in beating Yana Paliakova

Salihorsk resident Yana Paliakova addressed the city prosecutor’s office asking to start the proceedings against captain Puhachou who in a group, had brought her to police station by force where she was beaten in one of the rooms.

The supervisory body, in the person of investigator D. Dzeshuk, refused to start the proceedings. During 10 days which he had for consideration of Paliakova’s complaint he had found 8 police officers, who claimed on the day Paliakova was beaten (August 31st) they were together with Captain Puhachou on the central square from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

17.09.2008 Valiantsin Stefanovic: authorities have another chance to prosecute opposition members

Lawyer and human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovic comments on a number of suits filed by Hrodna KGB asking to recognize that the seized printed editions are of extremist nature:

“We observe unprecedented processes when the regional Committee for State Security (KGB) appeals to court under the Code of Civic Procedures, asking to recognize the legal fact that some printed editions are extremist. Among the editions on their list there is the Chronicle Review of Human Rights Violations in Belarus”, published by Viasna in 2004. According to the plaintiffs, it contains pictures from the rallies of anti-Belarusian nature: the Freedom Day, the Chernobyl March, Ancestors’ day, and others. The KGB also thinks the Review contains calls to overthrow the regime in an unconstitutional way.

Meanwhile, in 2004, when the draft law "about counteraction to extremism" was still considered by the parliament, we warned the Belarusian society about possible usage of the law against the political opposition and dissidents. Now, in Hrodna, we are actually observing the facts when any kind of criticism, including publishing of human rights materials, is assessed as extremist and containing (although it is still not clear, where) calls to anti-constitutional change of state system.

In our opinion, this is a very dangerous tendency. Although the law does not contain any sanctions and is more of a guiding nature, it still can be logically concluded that if the materials (in our case, the Chronicle Review of Human Rights Violations in Belarus -- 2004) are recognized extremist editions containing calls to overthrow the constitutional system, then their authors might be prosecuted.

We have a criminal article “Calls to overthrow the constitutional system”, which provides for criminal responsibility for such actions. This way, the Belarusian authorities have another chance to prosecute dissidents. Now we need to do everything we can to draw the public attention to these lawsuits. Moreover, we are in the election period at the moment. We should not allow for such a persecution now.

16.09.2008 Beaten for a white-red-white flag

The police detained Andrus Tsianiuta, activist of Young Front, during the celebration of the Day of the City. In the evening of September 13th Andrus was walking to a concert in the Ice Palace with a white-red-white flag. The policemen pulled the Young Front activist out of the crowd, knocked him down and beat him.

Andrus says, the policemen dislocated his finger and injured his knee.

16.09.2008 M. Ilyin and Ya. Skrabets arrested for 5 days

The guys were writing “Boycott” slogans on Brest streets. The police kept them in custody until lunch and then drew up a report for disorderly conduct. According to the official charges, yauhen and Mikhas were using foul language. The court punished the guys by 5 days of arrest.

16.09.2008 Week of elections: events and generalizations

The main event this week was that the Central electoral commission and the Supreme Court ended considering the complaints of the persons who had not been registered as candidates for the parliament. Pitifully enough, the situation with non-alternative election at 12 electoral constituencies remains the same even after consideration of the complaints.

15.09.2008 KGB ‘checks’ workers of Institute of History

In the second half of August and in the beginning of September KGB officers held a ‘voluntary’ questioning of workers of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus in connection with the 4 July explosion in Minsk. The ‘questioning’ was conducted in the working time. The KGB workers occupied the scientists’ offices and working places for it. Those who refused to participate in these measures are threatened with dismissal.

15.09.2008 Pukhavichy: court supports Russian company

On 15 September judge of Pukhavichy district court Liliya Rukhlevich rejected the suit of the dwellers of settlement of Druzhny against Pukhavichy district executive committee. By this verdict the citizens are prohibited to familiarize with documents of Pukhavichy district executive committee

15.09.2008 Human rights center

A document entitled ‘Decision for provision of civil security and road safety in Brest oblast during preparation and holding of the elections of deputies to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the fourth convocation’, signed by the head of the head of the internal affairs department of Brest oblast executive committee, lieutenant-colonel V.Krasnichenka, and agreed with the head of Brest oblast KGB department L.Dziadkou and the procurator of Brest oblast, senior justice advisor S.Khmaruk.

15.09.2008 Homel oblast: electoral programs of two candidates won’t be published

A state newspaper Zhyttsio Palessia refused to publish the electoral programs of two candidates running at Paleskaya electoral constituency #43. According to the answer of the secretary of the newspaper Sviatlana Danilchyk, the candidates Mikalai Haurylenka (a representative of the United democratic forces) and Siarhei Kanoplich (former head of Yelsk district executive committee) failed to timely present to the editorial board the texts of their programs.

15.09.2008 Kapyl authorities falsify documents on appointment of members to precinct commissions

Viktar Dashkevich, observer from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee at Salihorsk village electoral constituency #76, addressed the procuracy of Kapyl district after Kapyl district executive committee included in precinct commissions some ‘nominees’ of working collectives who did not have any relation to the working collectives from which they had been allegedly nominated. The procuracy checked the facts and ordered Kapyl DEC to replace the illegally nominated members of commissions.