The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

09.09.2008 Electoral commission of Homel-Tsentralnaya electoral constituency allows electoral meetings only in two locations

The electoral commission of Homel-Tsentralnaya constituency #33 determined only two places for meetings of candidates for deputies with the electorate: the sitting hall of the Scientific-methodical center of Homel oblast association of trade unions and the hall of housing economy #27 in the Kliankouski suburb of Homel.

09.09.2008 Supreme Court upholds registration denial to Alexander Lahvinets

On 9 September the Supreme Court upheld the rulings of Suharauskaya constituency electoral commission and the Central electoral commission for non-registration of Alexander Lahvinets as a candidate for the parliament.

09.09.2008 Supreme Court rejects Mikalai Statkevich’s appeal

The well-known activist and former political prisoner Mikalai Statkeivich intended to participate in the parliamentary elections, but was not let to do it. The official reason is that his conviction has not been cancelled yet.

09.09.2008 15 out of 19 candidates from the Belarusian Popular Front Party oppose to election boycott

15 out of 19 registered candidates of the Belarusian Popular Front addressed the Soim (council) of their party with the request to review the decision on withdrawing from the ‘parliamentary elections’ by 23 September.

09.09.2008 Andrei Bastunets was questioned concerning 4 July blast

The deputy head of the Belarusian association of Journalists, lawyer Andrei Bastunets was questioned concerning the explosion that had taken place on 4 July in Minsk. On 7 August he received a telephone call from Leninski police department of Minsk and invited to come and answer some questions concerning the explosion. Mr. Bastunets did not insist on receiving a summons and came to the police on 8 September at the specified time.

09.09.2008 Drahichyn: pressurization of oppositional candidate’s proxy

Yury Litvinau was a proxy of a candidate from the Belarusian Union of military officers at Dnepra-Buhskaya electoral constituency #10 Mikalai Tkachuk, but had to refuse from working in the candidate’s team because of pressurization at work. He wrote the statement about cessation of his participation in the initiative group of Mikalai Tkachuk on his request – the candidate felt pity for the family of his army friend.

09.09.2008 Dziatlava: TV shows news instead of candidate’s appearance

On 5 September, at 5.30-6.30 pm the speech of a candidate from the Party of Communists Belarusian Yanina Huzouskaya was to have been broadcast on the Lad TV channel. Instead, at this time there was shown the news of Brest TV studio. Thus, the electors of Dziatlava and other settlements were deprived of the opportunity to familiarize with the candidate.

09.09.2008 Baranavichy: Yarmoshyna’s ‘right’ approach

Karnei Piatrovich, an election observer from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, received an answer from the Central electoral commission to his appeal. The observer asked whether it was right of the state mass media to publish only the surnames, names and patronymic names of the people who were included in precinct electoral commission, and whether it was legal that all precinct commissions of electoral constituency #5 were composed on the following principle: workers of a working collective + its boss at the head of the commission. At the same time, no opposition’s representatives were included in these commissions, though the appropriate requests were submitted by them to the constituency electoral commission. Another problem Karnei Piatrovich faces is that the precinct commissions conceal the time of their sittings.

09.09.2008 Hrodna: black PR against oppositional activists

An anonymous article on behalf of a ‘democratic activist’ was published at a popular web-portal Hrodnenski forum. In this publication it is stated that the leaders of Hrodna organizations of the oppositional parties were living at the expense of the West, building posh houses and buying expensive cars.

09.09.2008 Smarhon: Kanstantsin Ulasevich hopes for Supreme Court

On 8 September Mikalai Ulasevich appealed to the Supreme Court against his non-registration as a candidate for the parliament.

09.09.2008 Oppositional candidate gets detained during electoral speech on TV

Kanstantsin Zhukouski, representative of the Belarusian Christian democracy Party, MP candidate in Buda-Kashaliova constituency (Homel region) was guarded to the local police department and was denied an opportunity of shooting propaganda video on the Homel oblast TV.

08.09.2008 Minsk: candidates not registered because of tangled division of territory between electoral constituencies

Violations of the electoral legislation by the pretenders during collection of signatures in Minsk are a result of a tangled determination of the territories of the electoral constituencies, which had been performed by the Central electoral commission. This conclusion was reached by Halina Siamdzianava, who on 3-4 September was present as a member with the right of advisory vote at the sittings of the Central electoral commission at which the complaints of the people who had been denied registration as candidates were considered.

08.09.2008 Baranavichy: two applications for pickets

Citizens of Baranavichy have submitted to Baranavichy city executive committee two applications requiring permission to hold pickets in connection with injustice during the electoral campaign. The people want to protest against non-registration of a writer, ambulance doctor, member of the Party of Communists Belarusian Alexander Halkevich, who intended to run for parliament at Baranavichy-Eastern electoral constituency #6.

08.09.2008 Electoral commission demands explanations from independent candidate Siarhei Kuzmianok

The independent candidate for parliament at Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya electoral constituency #49 Siarhei Kuzmianok will have to give explanations to the constituency electoral commission concerning the activities that concern his agitation campaign.

08.09.2008 Radio ‘Stalitsa’ broadcasts the speech of candidate Viktar Harbachou in wrong time

According to the candidate for deputy Viktar Harbachou, the radio station Stalitsa violated the schedule of broadcasting the deputies’ speeches and broadcast his speech earlier. The speech was to have put on the air on 4 September at 6.20 pm, and Harbachou warned his adherents about it. Instead, his speech was broadcast at 6.05 pm and by the time the people turned on their radio, the speech had been over.