The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

28.09.2008 Hrodna: precinct commissions refuse to give information

At some precincts of Hrodna-Tsentralnaya electoral constituency members of precinct commissions refused to give information about the results of early voting. In particular, the head of precinct commission #18 situated in Hroda State technical college #49 twice ignored the direct order of a representative of the constituency electoral commission to give such information. A similar situation could be observed at polling stations #4 and #41. The information was received by observers only after insistent calls to the constituency commission.

28.09.2008 Observer from Vitsebsk oblast executive committee gives orders to head of commission

Six observers received registration at polling station #53 of Vitsebsk-Chkalauskaya electoral constituency #18. One of them is a candidate’s proxy, the rest represent the state organs. There are no special places for observers at the polling station. None of the observers attended the sealing of the ballot box today.

28.09.2008 Vitsebsk: observers will ‘watch’ their boss

Seven observers have received registration at polling station #52 of Vitsebsk-Chkalauskaya electoral constituency #18. Five of them represent the state organs: Vitsebsk city executive committee, the district education department, the district committee of the official trade union, the district soviet of veterans and the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM). Two more are representatives of the working collective and the trade union organization of the open stock company Malako (Milk). It is quite interesting that the electoral commission, the work of which they will allegedly watch has been formed from workers of the same company, and their boss, Nina Shubina, is the head of the commission.

28.09.2008 Night detentions in Navapolatsk

On 27 September at 10.30 pm in the Econom shop in Navapolatsk the police detained the members of BPF Youth Andrei Halavyryn, Mikalai Novikau, Viktoryia Shtukar and Aliaksei Trubkin. The detainees were guarded to Navapolatsk district police department and kept there for about three hours. At first the policemen stated that they reminded of the people who were wanted for taking away people’s mobile phones.

28.09.2008 Minsk: ballots are printed on Xerox in front of observer’s eyes

According to the information, received from an observer of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, during his visit to constituency electoral commission #108 a colonel (most probably, the head of a precinct commission) came to the commission and told its head, M.Botsian, that they were short of ballots. 107 ballots were printed on Xerox machine. The man demonstratively told the head of the commission to compose and act that the ballots were printed.

28.09.2008 INFORMATION FOR JOURNALISTS (updated)

On 29 September (Monday) at 1 p.m. a press conference of human rights activists will take place at the office of the republican human rights NGO Belarusian Helsinki Committee. The results of the monitoring of the campaign on elections to the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus of the fourth convocation will be voiced there.

28.09.2008 Vitsebsk: ‘mismatches’ in seals and numbers

Precinct #79 at Vitsebsk-Kastrychnitskaya electoral constituency #20. According to the information of the observers 470 (23,65%) of voters voted during the five days of early voting, whereas according to the information of the electoral commission – 579 (29,13%). It is quite interesting, that the numbers of the observer and of the commission are the same for the four first days, but on the fifth day the difference is 109.

28.09.2008 Baranavichy: members of electoral commissions from United Civil Party may not see the counting of votes

On 26 September the sittings of the electoral commissions of Baranavichy-Western constituency #5 and Baranavichy village constituency #7 took place. There the technical issues of the work on the last day of the elections were considered. The members of the United Civil Party Anzhalika Kambalava and Yan Savitski work in these commissions.

28.09.2008 International observers will be given information, domestic ones will be not

On 26 September a sitting of Mazyr electoral constituency commission #42 took place. The commission adopted a ruling, according to which information will be given only to international observers, not to domestic ones. The commission’s secretary Veranika Ulasevich said that the Electoral Code had no enumeration of the information that could be demanded by observers and candidates’ proxies, that’s why such a ruling was absolutely legal.

28.09.2008 Minsk: activity of electors ‘suddenly decreases’ on the last day of early voting

The last day of early voting, 27 September, was defined by a much lower turnout in comparison to the other four days. Thus, now the opinion that the last Friday was chosen the culmination day for the electoral farce, is supported by facts.

28.09.2008 Mahiliou: eviction from hostels for refusal to vote early

The commandant of the hostel of Khimvalakno enterprise in Shmidt Street 5a did not let in the citizens who did not vote early. According to their information, the commandant Haurulenka was standing at the check-point and directed those who had not voted to the polling stations.

28.09.2008 Zhabinka: policeman votes for his friends

We learned that at polling station #44 a policeman who has been present there since the beginning of early voting, asked members of the precinct commission to let him vote for his friends, workers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, whose residence was registered in Zhabinka, whereas they lived in Brest.

28.09.2008 Vitsebsk: Street cleaner obliged to agitate for candidate Auchynnikau

On 27 September in the morning election observers saw a street cleaner Alena Marhalava posting leaflets in support of a pro-governmental candidate Viktar Auchynnikau near the porches of houses on the territory of Vitsebsk-Chkalauskaya electoral constituency #18, where the candidate is running. Together with the leaflets she posted a critical article from the newspaper Vitbichi, about an MP Alexander Hudkou, who decided to run for the second term without the agreement of the authorities.

28.09.2008 Kalinkavichy: Pressurization of observers continues

On 26 September an observer from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Dzianis Rabianok has been summonsed to Kalinkavichy district procuracy. There he was familiarized with a criminal case under Article 9.10 (violation of the electoral laws) that was brought against him. The formal reason for the case was an ‘application from citizens of Yelsk. Mr. Rabianok was not explained what he was charged with. He lives in Kalinkavichy and is an observer at electoral commission #41.