The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2010

17.02.2010 Orsha officials continue violating election legislation

On 6 February 2010, the Vitsebsk oblast executive committee and the Presidium of the Vitsebsk Soviet of Deputies issued a ruling on formation of constituency election commissions. Eight of thee established commissions are situated in the town of Orsha. Still, the local state press (the Arshanskaya Hazeta newspaper) has published information about only two of them, though 11 days have already passed since the formation, and Article 34 of the Election Code requires that the decisions of state organs on formation of commissions be published within seven-days’ term.

17.02.2010 Horki: administration of district election commission and constituency election commissions works in district executive committee

In Horki, the administrations of the constituency commissions on elections to the Mahiliou oblast Soviet of Deputies and the district election commission on elections to the Horki district Soviet of Deputies consists of the persons whose stable place of work is the Horki district executive committee, and Ina Kurtsina, secretary of this commission, is Deputy Chairperson of the education department of the Horki DEC .

17.02.2010 Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections: first stage of the formation of territorial and district election commissions. Report

According to article 34 of The Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus, territorial election commissions on the election of deputies of local Soviets are formed by the presidiums of oblast, Minsk city Soviet of deputies and oblast, Minsk city executive committees, composed of 9-13 commission-members. The mentioned commissions are formed no later than 85 days before the elections.

16.02.2010 Barysau district: created constituencies fail to meet legal requirements

Decision #3 of the Barysau district election commission, published the state-owned newspaper Adzinstva, concerns changes of the boundaries of the election constituencies #9 and #10 on the elections to the Barysau district Soviet of Deputies of the 26th Convocations and, correspondingly, changes in the number of electors in these constituencies.

16.02.2010 Election campaign: numbers and tendencies of the last week

The weeks started with sizing up the results of forming of the constituency commissions on elections to the oblast Soviets of Deputies and the Minsk city Soviet of Deputies and holding the first sittings of these commissions. During the week the information on dismissals of claims against non-inclusion of nominees in territorial commissions was summed up. Simultaneously, political parties lodged with courts new complaints – against non-inclusion of their nominees to constituency election commissions, and the local authorities issued rulings on determining the places banned for picketing on collection of signatures in support of pretenders to candidates.

16.02.2010 Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs voices support to the Polish minority

The leadership of the Assembly of NGOs issued an official statement to condemn the unlawful actions of the Belarusian authorities towards members of the Union of Poles in Belarus not recognized by them.

16.02.2010 Hrodna: judicial absurd

The Hrodna oblast court dismissed the claim of the Hrodna oblast organization of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada against the decision of the Hrodna oblast executive committee and the Presidium of the Hrodna oblast Soviet of Deputies of 8 February, by which the BSDH representative Uladzimir Khilmanovich hadn’t been included in the Limozh constituency election commission #6.

16.02.2010 Orsha authorities propose seeking information on elections at web-site with unknown address

As Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections have already informed, the Orsha leaders of political parties have complained to a number of state organs against not being informed about the time and place of the joint sitting of the Orhsa district executive committee and the presidium of the Orsha district Soviet of Deputies, at which the decision on forming the district territorial commission on elections was adopted. According to the innovations in the Election Code, the organizations that had nominated their representatives to the commissions have the right to take part in such sittings.

15.02.2010 Pickets in populous places are banned throughout Belarus

One of the novelties in the election legislation this year is that the state officials have to officially determine the places where picketing for collection of signatures in support of pretenders to candidates should be banned.

15.02.2010 Absurd trial of Tereza Sobal, Chairperson of Ivianets organization of Union of Poles

A preliminary sitting on the lawsuit of the pro-regime Union of Poles of Belarus headed by Stanislau Siamasha against Teresa Sobal, Chairperson of the Ivianets branch of the Union of Poles that is not recognized by the Belarusian authorities. Teresa also headed the Polish House in Ivianets before it was sealed by court marshals. The defendant entered motions for summoning witnesses and composing an additional inventory of property in the Polish House.

15.02.2010 Barys Khamaida is accused of ‘disorderly conduct’

Officers of the Chynunachy district police department in Vitsebsk gave such charges to Barys Khamaida for ‘hanging out a white-red-white flag’.

15.02.2010 Constituencies formed without law violations only in one district of Vitsebsk oblast

In Vitsebsk oblast, the forming by the district territorial election commissions of the constituencies for the elections to the district Soviets of Deputies of the 26th Convocations came to an end. The district newspapers published the lists of election constituencies including their numbers, names, boundaries, number of electors and location of election commissions. The number of constituencies ranges from 25 to 40, which corresponds to the legal requirements.

15.02.2010 ’Vitebskiy Kurier’ still has problems with distribution

On 4 February in Vitsebsk, the police detained the newspaper distributeor Maryia Stsepaniuk and guarded her to the Chyhunachny district police department (DPD). Police Major Aleh Alt charged her with violating Article 22.9, part 2 of the Administrative Code, ‘distribution of periodical without registration in the Republic of Belarus’. Siarhei Blazhevich, DPD head, passed the case materials to court. All copies of the newspaper were confiscated from the detainee.

15.02.2010 Detentions and trials of members of disgraced Union of Poles

In Hrodna, the police detained Ihar Banatsar, press secretary of the Union of Poles in Belarus. Mechyslau Yaskevich and Andrei Pachobut, UPB members, were detained on the way to Minsk.

15.02.2010 Anatol Liabezka detained

At 10.30 a.m. on 15 February in Valozhyn, on the eve of the trial of the member of the Union of Poles in Belarus Tereza Sobal, the police detained Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, and guarded him to the Valozhyn district police department. At 5.30 p.m. he was still kept there.