The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

12.09.2008 Mahiliou: Lidziya Yarmoshyna sweeps aside complaint of human rights activists

Alexander Karaliou and Zmitser Salauyou, human rights activists from Mahiliou, received an answer from the head of the Central electoral commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna to their complaint concerning the refusal to admit observers to the procedure of verification of genuineness of the electors’ signatures by the electoral commission of constituency #85.

12.09.2008 Horki: warning to democratic candidate

The electoral commission of Horki constituency #81 issued a warning to the candidate Andrei Yurkou after his adherents had posted several agitation posters in Mstsislau and Horki.

12.09.2008 Barysau: candidate-deputy Huminski feels no remorse

The latest issue of a state newspaper Yedinstvo was again decorated with a photo of the MP Viktar Huminski, who is running for the third term. This time, in the high gear of the agitation campaign, the deputy awarded a disabled child who won the contest of the art works dedicated to Belarus and mother tongue. Bear in mind that during the eight years of his being an MP Huminski has never spoke in parliament in Belarusian and also voted for repeal of all social guarantees to the population, including guarantees to disabled children.

12.09.2008 Polatsk: different ‘equal’ conditions

Two candidates at Polatsk electoral constituency #28 conduct their electoral campaign in different conditions.

12.09.2008 Vitsebsk: double standards for candidates

Recently the electoral commission of Vitsebsk-Chyhunachnaya constituency #19 has gathered for a sitting in order to take a decision on repeated broadcast of the speech of candidate Andrei Levinau (during the first broadcast the sound was suddenly cut off while Levinau was calling the electorate not to vote early).

12.09.2008 Common people declare boycott of elections

On 11 September after visiting the General Prosecutor’s office about 40 citizens from different districts of the country declared boycott to the parliamentary elections and called on everyone who had suffered from self-will of the officials to join this action. These people also adopted an appropriate address.

11.09.2008 Vitsebsk: more obstacles to candidate Andrei Levinau

Colleagues addressed a former policeman, candidate Andrei Levinau with the request to deliver a speech to them.

11.09.2008 State NGO to pay active electors with tickets to a disco

Members of the ‘state NGO’ Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM) started the campaign ‘Youth and elections – formula of responsibility’. They have been recommended to hold actions with distribution of badges, brochures and other promotion materials. They will also give tickets to discos, concerts and the games of the Club of Creative and Cheerful to those who come to the electoral precincts in groups of more than five.

11.09.2008 Yarmoshyna issues unlawful order concerning numeration of polling stations in Minsk

The numeration of the polling stations in Minsk was performed with violation of the requirements of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus

11.09.2008 Homel oblast: members of United Civil Party leave constituency commissions

Members of the United Civil Parties stop their membership and work in the constituency electoral commissions in Homel oblast. They directed the appropriate statements to the presidium of Homel oblast soviet of deputies and to Homel oblast executive committee (the state agencies that had formed the commissions).

11.09.2008 Babruisk: number of citizens and polling stations is changed

The number of citizens is constantly growing in the new suburbs of Babruisk, where new houses are being built. In particular, the population of Zakhodni suburb has almost doubled since the previous elections. It means that the number of electors doubled as well.

11.09.2008 Human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich questioned as a witness in the case of Minsk blast

On 11 September the officers of Leninski district police department of Minsk questioned the human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich as a witness in the case that had been brought on the fact of a blast in Minsk on 4 July.

11.09.2008 Vitsebsk: newspapers and magazines stolen from Barys Khamaida

A distributor of private press, well-known public activist Barys Khamaida, has been robbed. Unkown thieves have stolen from him several hundreds exemplars of the newspapers Narodnaya Volia¸ Nasha Niva and Kurier iz Vitebska, five magazines Arche and five compilations of Lukashenka’s sayings by Uladzimir Padhol.

11.09.2008 Brest: human rights activists and their families are questioned concerning 4 July blast

On 8 September officers of Brest police phoned to the human rights activists Raman Kisliak, Uladzimir Vialichkin and Mikhail Illin (Vialichkin’s son). The policemen asked where the people had been on 3-4 July and who could confirm it.

11.09.2008 Siarhei Salash is found guilty of defamation

On 10 September a judge of Barysau district court Alena Bachyshcha found an unregistered candidate for deputy Siarhei Salash guilty under Article #9.2 of the Administrative Code of Belarus and fined him 875 000 rubles (about $410).