News for February 2010
15.02.2010 Minsk: St. Valentine Day action dispersed by riot police. Tatsiana Shaputska has cranial trauma
About 30 young democratic activists were detained by police as a result of the violent dispersal of the St. Valentine Day action in the center of Minsk. Riot policemen grabbed them by hands and feet and threw into paddy wagons. Two hours after the detention the police released the detainees without giving any charges.
15.02.2010 Babruisk: democratic activists learn about their non-inclusion in commissions from newspaper
In Babruisk, seven members of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party were nominated to election commissions through collection of signatures. None of them were included in the commissions.
15.02.2010 Mahiliou: inaccuracies in determination of boundaries of election constituencies
Many inaccuracies were found in the description of the election constituencies published in the Mahiliouskiya Vedamastsi newspaper.
15.02.2010 Barysau: electors are kept in the dark
In Barysau district, electors still haven’t been informed about the decision of the Barysau district executive committee (DEC) on determining the places prohibited for collecting signatures in support of candidates to the local Soviets of Deputies. On 12 February the officials managed to show Mikhail Vasiliieu, leader of the Barysau organization of the United Civil Paty, only a copy of the appropriate document without the signature of Uladzimir Miranovich, Chairpers of the Barysau DEC.
15.02.2010 Mazyr: election commissions don’t work on first day of registration of initiative groups
In Mazyr, election commissions didn’t work on 14 February, the first day of registration of the initiative groups of candidates to the local Soviets of Deputies according to the time schedule of the Central Election Commission. The requirements of the Election Code were ignored by the officials responsible for the operating schedule of the Mazyr district election commission.
12.02.2010 Human rights defender Tamara Chikunova voices concern over retention of death penalty in Belarus
In the beginning of February, Tamara Chikunova, a well-known advocate of the death penalty abolition in Uzbekistan, paid a visit to Belarus. During a meeting with members of the HRC Viasna she told them about the problems one can face while defending the right to life. Chairperson of the Mothers against Death Penalty and Torture NGO also expressed her concern over the retention of the death penalty in Belarus and stated her wish to facilitate its final abolition.
12.02.2010 Brest: ’Young Front’ activist complains against conditions in a temporary detention facility
Ivan Stasiuk, activist of the Young Front, lodged with Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich a complaint concerning the conditions in the temporary detention facility of Brest. A copy of the complaint was submitted to the Leninski district procuracy in Brest.
12.02.2010 Homel: member of constituency commission complains to Chairperson of Central Election Commission about non-democratic election of the commission administration
Leanid Sudalenka, member of the Uladzimirskaya constituency election commission #11 on elections to the Homel oblast Soviet of Deputies, addressed Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, concerning the non-democratic election of Chariperson, Deputy Chairperson and Secretary of his commission.
12.02.2010 Svetlahorsk: information about elections available only by subscription
In Svetlahorsk district, official information about the preparation to the elections to the local Soviets of Deputies is published in the state-owned newspapers that are distributed only by subscription. The electors who aren’t subscribed to these newspapers can find them only in the libraries.
12.02.2010 ‘Ideologizing elections’ in Mahiliou
On 9 February Elections as a factor of civil society development, a seminar for Mahiliou ideologists, took place marking the beginning of the Country in the run-up to the elections, a joint project held by the ideological department of the Mahiliou city executive committee and the Mahiliou informational-ideological center and the ‘state NGO’ Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM). The project is destined for ‘informing the population about the pace of the election campaign and increasing its informational, political and legal culture’.
12.02.2010 Materials from Belarusian NPOs prepared for the Universal Periodic Review of Belarus in the U.N. Committee on Human Rights. October 2009
This compilation of materials was prepared in August-September 2009 by a group of NGOs for conveyance to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in conjunction with the preparation of the Universal Periodic Review of the Republic of Belarus' fulfillment of its international human rights obligations. These materials contain references to more detailed reports and publications. The following organizations participated in the preparation of these materials: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), “Viasna” Human Rights Center, Assembly of Democratic Non-Governmental Organizations of Belarus and Congress of Independent Unions (Belarus).
11.02.2010 Homel: democratic activists are not elected chairs of election commissions
Lawyer Leanid Sudalenka, activist of the United Civil Party, said in an interview to RFE/RL that only ideologists were elected commission Chairpersons.
11.02.2010 Public ecological expertise of construction of the nuclear power plant started in Belarus
On 10 February the Ekadom NGO announced the beginning of the public expertise of the state project on construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus.
11.02.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: We call on the Belarusian Governmental to cooperate with the UN as actively as we do
On 11 February, human rights defenders presented their report on the procedure of the Universal Periodical Review of Belarus in the UN Human Rights Committee.
11.02.2010 Homel: draftee Yauhen Yakavenka fined
On 11 February Alena Dzichkouskaya, Judge of the Savetski district court in Homel, fined draftee Yauhen Yakavenka 175 000 rubles (about $60) for non-coming to ‘drafting measures’ on 29 February without a good excuse, in which he was accused by the city draft board.
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