The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for April 2010

14.04.2010 Mahiliou: state financing is not enough for printing agitation materials

According to Aliaksei Paulouski, a candidate for the Mahiliou city and the Mahiliou regional Councils of Deputies, he managed to print agitation leaflets for 40% and 20% electors respectively for the means he had received from the state for this purpose.

14.04.2010 Salihorsk: executive committee ignores recommendation of the Central Election Commission

The electoral headquarters of candidate Aliaksei Valabuyeu received two denials to their applications for holding electoral pickets in the yards of the houses that are situated on the territory of the election constituency where the candidate is running. The officials state in their answers that there are enough places that had been officially determined for agitation meetings. Bear in mind that there are only two such places, the Budaunik stadium and the Budaunik Palace of Culture. Both of them are situated on the town outskirts, quite far from the majority of constituencies.

14.04.2010 Candidate gets excluded from electoral race for participation in opposition demonstration

Anastasiya Azarka, a candidate to the Rudauka local Council of Deputies and a member of the Young Belarus, was told in the election commission that she had been removed from the ballot.

14.04.2010 Homel: people in mufti shoot electoral picket on video

Yauhen Yakavenka and Kastus Zhukouski, members of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, are candidates for deputies of the Homel regional council. They have been holding electoral pickets in Homel for several days already. Mr. Zhukouiski held his first picket near the Festyvalny Culture Palace, without any incidents. The following day Zhukouski and Yakavenka started using a loudspeaker in their agitation work, which attracted a scrupulous attention of the local police. On 9 April policemen and people in mufti approached the picket near the culture palace and started shooting the action on video.

14.04.2010 Homel regional court didn’t grant complaint of BPF member

On 9 April the Homel regional court considered the complaint against the non-registration of Uladzimir Tseliapun, a member of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, as a candidate for the Mazyr district Council of Deputies.

14.04.2010 Minsk region: 1 out of 6 complaints is granted

As said to Minskaya Prauda by Aliaksei Vasiliieu, the Minsk regional election commission received six complaints against non-registration of candidates for local Councils of Deputies. However, only one of them was granted – the complaint of Tamara Kavazehenka, a resident of Barysau.

09.04.2010 International human rights community condemns execution of Andrei Zhuk and Vasil Yuzepchuk

A wide range of foreign and international human rights organizations addressed Aliaksandr Lukashenka and Siarhei Sikorski with a joint statement to condemn the ongoing use of the death penalty in Belarus. Here we present to your attention the full text of the address.

09.04.2010 Vitsebsk: will electors come to precinct located 3 km away from their home?

The candidate for the Vitsebsk regional Council of Deputies Iryna Akulionak, activist of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Narodnaya Hramada, has to defend the electoral rights of citizens of the Budaunichaya constituency #58 where she is running. The matter is that dwellers of Bileva, a new suburb of Vitsebsk, had been assigned to the precinct that is located in secondary school #12 that is situated more than three kilometers away from the suburb. It means that many people will have to get to the precinct by public transport, sometimes even with changes.

09.04.2010 Babruisk: court refuses to exclude candidate from electoral race

On 9 April the Mahiliou regional court considered the lawsuit of Viachaslau Sheleh, a member of the Belarusian Christian Democracy concerning the non-registration of his candidacy for the Babruisk town Council of Deputies. Meanwhile, Mr. Sheleh was registered as a candidate for the Mahiliou regional council. The signature sheets in support of his candidacy are identical in the both cases. However, the Babruisk town election commissions had allegedly found some invalid signatures, whereas the Mahiliou regional election commission hadn't found any.

09.04.2010 Barysau: 'liberalization' spreads on information about candidates' income

The list of the candidates for the Barysau district Council of Deputies of the 26th Convocation was published by the state-owned newspaper Adzinstva two days after their registration. The list includes their surnames and names, the dates of birth the official positions, the places of work and residence and the party affiliation.

09.04.2010 Homel: candidates are allowed to speak about indifference of officials only in unfrequented places

Yauhen Yakavenka, a candidate for the Homel regional Council of Deputies at the Yubileinaya constituency and a coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, held an agitation picket in the place that had been determined by the local authorities, the ground near the Culture House of the Deaf.

09.04.2010 Vitsebsk: competition without rules

The state-owned newspaper Vitsbichy continued creating unequal conditions for candidates. The candidate for the Vitsebsk city Council of Deputies Siarhei Bialiayeu, head doctor of the Vitsebsk city central polyclinic, became the hero of the Hotline column in edition #43 for 8 April 2010.

09.04.2010 Homel: Yauhen Yakavenka justified

On 8 April 2010 the Savetski district court in Homel justified Yauhen Yakavenka, 25, who was charged with non-coming to events connected to drafting into the army.

09.04.2010 Ideologist of Brest district election committee interferes with electoral process

On 8 April A.Kuzniatsou, a candidate to the Brest district Council of Deputies of the 26th Convocation running at the Yaminskaya election constituency #26 brought the models of his agitation leaflets, posters and stickers to the printing house Artline. He was told about a telephone call from L.Lemekh, ideologist of the Brest district executive committee, who expressed a negative position concerning his leaflets. As a result, Artline refused to publish the agitation materials.

09.04.2010 Minsk: don't workers of housing service know the law?

On 8 April, workers of a housing service tore away agitation leaflets of candidate Vadzim Kanapatski, Deputy Chairperson of the Minsk city organization of the Belarusian Popular Front, from the notice boards in Barastsianskaya Street, on the territory of the Pershamaiskaya election constituency #56. When the candidate asked them about the reasons, they answered that the head of the housing service ordered them to clear the boards of any information that had no relation to the housing service.