The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

04.09.2008 Miyory: it is allowed to come to meetings with pro-regime candidates in working time

The workers of the budget sector of the settlement of Vetryna (situated on the territory of Miyory electoral constituency #24) were insistently advised to come to the meeting with a pro-regime candidate to the parliament on 3 September at 3 p.m.

04.09.2008 Valer Putsitski joins boycott of elections

Activist of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), MP candidate Valer Putsinski, said he withdrew his candidature fro the election. Putsinski informed Rechytsa district election commission about his decision on 1 September.

04.09.2008 Anatol Liabedzka’s apartment is seized for non-payment of fine for European March

On 3 September the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka received a notice saying the court of the Tsentralny district of Minsk seized his apartment, allegedly for his failure to pay penalty for participation in organizing the European March mass action which had was held in Minsk on 14 October 2007.

04.09.2008 Brest: pickets in memory of missing politicians are banned

On 3 September the court of Leninski district of Brest dismissed the complaint of Andrei Sharenda and Vital Symonik against a prohibition to hold a picket on 7 July, dedicated to the 8th anniversary of Dzmitry Zavadski’s abduction.

03.09.2008 CEC prohibits unregistered candidates to use legal aid during consideration of their complaints

The Central electoral commission has started consideration of the complaints of the persons who had not been registered as candidates for the Chamber of Representatives of the fourth convocation.

03.09.2008 Brest: lists of candidates running at all constituencies have been published

On 3 September the electors of Brest familiarized with the printed lists of the registered candidates to the Chamber of Representatives at all 16 constituencies which are situated on the territory of Brest oblast.

03.09.2008 Kletsk: state officials receive police powers

Kletsk district executive committee adopted ruling #886 On empowering to the duty officials of Kletsk district executive committee to compose reports of administrative violations.

03.09.2008 Orsha: numbers witness absence of equality

In Orhsa election observers analyzed the frequency of mentioning of candidates to the Chamber of Representatives by the local press. They chose for it two newspapers: a state one, Arshanskaya Hazeta, and a private one, Telecom Express.

03.09.2008 Candidate for deputy is prohibited to promote web-site of his party

On 2 September the majority of candidates to the Chamber of Representatives have finished recording their TV and radio appearances, which are to be broadcast since tomorrow.

03.09.2008 Mahiliou: police draw violation report on wheel-chair disabled

On 2 September in Mahiliou the wheel-chair disabled Uladzimir Vusikau picketed the city executive committee. He demanded that he was restored in the line for getting an apartment as a disabled and compensated the cost of the sanatorium voucher.

03.09.2008 International Federation for Human Rights to demand the Belarusian government to investigate political disappearances

‘Opinion of people should come first in democratic countries. If election is undemocratic, people have the right to protest in the streets,’ Secretary General of the International Federation of Human Rights Luis Guillermo Perez told in an interview to the Charter’97 press center.

03.09.2008 PC seized from Ales Pushkin during a search

Artist Ales Pushkin demands to return his things which had been seized from him during the search in the case of Minsk blast. He sent an appropriate request to prosecutor of Minsk Mikalai Kulik.

03.09.2008 Siarhei Salash accuses Yarmoshyna of disseminating lies

In his appeal to the Central Elections Commission Siarhei Salash, among other things, accused the chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna of dissemination of inaccurate information at a press-conference for mass media about his being summoned to police after a statement of Tatsiana Stasava (a secretary of the district commission of Barysau city electoral district #62). Tatsiana Stasava and Valyantsina Shutko accused Siarhei Salash of insulting them, calling them ‘falsifiers’ in presence of four witnesses. Yarmoshyna told to journalists that Salash was summoned to police on August 10, while according to Salash, in the summons received by him, he was summoned on August 18, which is the last day of submitting documents for registration.

03.09.2008 Ministry of Justice demands that BPF remove white-red-flag from headquarters entrance

The central office of the Belarusian Popular Front was visited by a consultant of the department of non-governmental organization of the Ministry of Justice Alexander Kharyton.

03.09.2008 Teachers are ‘advised’ to vote for pro-regime candidate

Before the beginning of the new curriculum year in Pinsk a plenary session of teachers of the town took place in the town’s House of Culture. More than 700 teachers and headmasters have taken part in the event.