The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for March 2010

09.03.2010 Election campaign: numbers and tendencies of the week

As far as the well-known Stalin's principle 'votes doesn't matter, what matters is who and how counts them' is still actual for Belarus, the week past was very important for the election campaign, because this period was connected with the nomination of representatives to precinct commissions – those who count the votes. This stage of the elections ended on the last day of the week. Now the election committees will decide who to trust to count the poll. The week was also defined by the active nomination of candidates to deputies and presentation of the necessary documents to the appropriate territorial and constituency election commissions. This process will last till 15 March. These two simultaneous processes and the general political atmosphere against the background of which they were taking place were in the focus of attention of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections.

06.03.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Elections are always accompanied with repressions and harassment in Belarus

Recently the authorities have increased the pressurization of representatives of the democratic community and member of their initiative groups on all levels.

06.03.2010 Homel oblast: 2,298 pretenders passed documents for registration

As of 5 March, 2 298 persons passed documents for registration of their candidacies with the election commissions in the Homel oblast.

05.03.2010 Salihorsk: district commissions upheld ban on collecting signatures in student dormitory

Members of the initiative group of Aliaksei Valabuyeu, pretender to candidate, received a copy of the decision of the Salihorsk district election commission in favor of the prohibition to collect electors’ signatures at a student dormitory.

05.03.2010 Homel: probability of withdrawal of candidates of United Democratic Forces is very high

The Homel coalition of the United Democratic Forces reserves the right to withdraw its candidates if the authorities don’t include its representatives in precinct election commissions. The potential UDF candidates stated it at the press conference that was held on 4 March in Homel.

05.03.2010 Masty executive committee grossly violated election legislation

According to Article 34.35 of the Election Code, precinct election commissions must be formed not later than 45 days to the elections and the statements and minutes on nomination of representatives to precinct commissions must be submitted not later than three days before the formation of the commissions. According to the timing schedule of the elections adopted by the Central Election Commission, the documents on forming commissions must be filed by 7 March inclusive and the sittings on forming of the precinct commissions must take place not later than 10 March.

05.03.2010 Political parties start nominating representatives to precinct election commissions (updated)

The Hrodna departments of the democratic parties nominate their representatives to the precinct election commissions. 16 persons were nominated to them by the BPF Party that intends to nominate four candidates to the Hrodna city Soviet of Deputies. The Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada has nominated four persons, but some more members of the party will be nominated to the precinct commissions by collecting electors’ signatures.

05.03.2010 ’New Life’ applies to Supreme Court

Believers of the Minsk Protestant Church New Life lodged with the Supreme Court and appeal against the verdict of the Maskouski district court in Minsk by which it the church is sentenced to pay more than $100,000 for alleged harm to the environment (the soil samples that were taken from the car parking near the church allegedly contained excessive amounts of oil products).

05.03.2010 Vitsebsk oblast: signatures are passed to election commissions

The territorial and constituency election commissions have received 1 646 packets of documents for registration of candidates to the local Soviets of Deputies. A total of 3 530 deputies will be elected to the local Soviets of different levels in Vitsebsk oblast.

05.03.2010 Playbills of a theatric piece about bilingualism disappeared

Translations, a play staged in Yanka Kupala Theatre by Mikalai Pinihin, has been left without bills at which a girl with a taped mouth was depicted.

05.03.2010 Secret services receive legal unlimited access to databases of telephone companies

The KGB (State Security Committee) and the Operating Analytical Centre (OAC) under Lukashenka’s administration are penetrating into the work of cell phone companies by installing special equipment.

05.03.2010 Workers of Belarusian Metallurgic Plant refuse to work

A conflict blazed up at Belarusian metallurgic plant (BMZ) because workers were deprived of bonuses.

05.03.2010 Dismissals at glass works ‘Nioman’

At the glass works Nioman in Biarozauka (Lida district) more than 30 workers have received notices that employment contracts with them won’t be extended in a months.

05.03.2010 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in January 2010

In January, the election to the Local Councils of the 26th Convocation started in Belarus. According to Presidential decree #21 of 18 January 2010, the election was appointed to 26 April. It was the first campaign carried under the amended Election Code. As soon as the decree was published, Belarusian human rights defenders started monitoring the electoral process all over Belarus within the frames of the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections. One of their aims was to analyze the practical implementation of new provisions of the electoral legislation. According to these innovations, the subjects who nominated their representatives to election commissions received the right to appeal their non-inclusion in the commissions. A number of public and political activists used this right and applied to court.

04.03.2010 Babruisk: election-related pressurization of Christian democrats increases

The most intensive pressurization is exercised on the people who have recently become members of the Belarusian Christian Democracy or members of the initiative groups of BCD members.