The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for April 2010

07.04.2010 Information at website of Mahiliou regional executive committee was 'brushed up'

On 6 April, the expected changes took place at the website of the Mahiliou regional executive committee. These changes are a result of the publications of the article Scandalous Blunder of Mahiliou Vertical on the spring96.org and other informational resources.

07.04.2010 'Young Front' is denied registration

The democratic youth organization Young Front was denied registration. The official reasons are the discrepancy of the registration documents and the legal address of the organization and the fact that many its founders have been drawn to administrative and criminal responsibility.

07.04.2010 'Young Front' member Nasta Loika summoned to police

As Nasta learned, the reason for the summon is an application of the mother of Yaraslau Lyskavets, an underage member of the Young Front, who accuses members of the Young Front of drawing him in the organization activities.

07.04.2010 Barysau: electoral meeting at closed precinct

The administration of the military unit #93685 refused to let in Tamara Kavazhenka, candidate for the Barysau district Council of Deputies, her proxies and a group of electors for about 30 minutes.

07.04.2010 Mazyr: leaflet in support of pro-governmental candidate is distributed without imprint

As noted by democratic candidates Franak Viachorka and Uladzimir Tseliapun, leaflets of candidate Hramovich is distributed at constituency #18 on elections to the Mazyr district Council of Deputies without having any imprint on them, which is a violation of the electoral legislation. The leaflets are posted not only on the informational stands, but also on windows. Of course, Hramovich is the only candidate registered at this constituency, that's why he doesn't need to care about such 'trifles' as imprint.

07.04.2010 Activist of 'Young Belarus' threatened with criminal case

Andrei Kuzmitski, an activist of the Young Belarus, says that a KGB officer visited him at home.

07.04.2010 Pavel Sharamet summoned to interrogation on 'hunters' case'

Pavel Sharamet has been summoned for interrogation to law-enforcing agencies of Russia upon the request of the Interior Ministry of Belarus. He is to give explanations in connection with the defamation case opened in Belarus after several articles in independent mass media about the former head of the Homel KGB bureau Korzh.

06.04.2010 Homel: private printing houses refuse to publish agitation materials of candidates

Private publishing enterprises of Homel refuse to publish leaflets of independent candidate. As said by Sviataslau Shapavalau, a coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, candidate for the Homel regional Council of Deputies, at one of private enterprises he was told that there was a secret order to them not even to talk with the candidates who wanted to publish such production.

06.04.2010 Mazyr: state printing house refused to publish agitation materials for opposition candidate

On 6 April S.Dyliuk, director of the Mazyr state printing house Color refused to publish the agitation materials of Uladzimir Tseliapun, candidate for the Homel regional Council of Deputies.

06.04.2010 Baranavichy: Viktar Tsiapin continues struggling for truth

As we have already informed, Viktar Tsiapin, a Baranavichy member of the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World, wasn’t registered as a candidate for the city council because he had allegedly wrote the dates opposite the electors’ signatures, whereas it should have been done by them. Tsiapin’s complaint against the non-registration wasn’t granted by the Brest regional election commission.

06.04.2010 Uladzimir Matskevich: ‘Information stands as archeological monument of democracy’

The posters with information that the elections to the local Councils of Deputies will take place n 25 April have started appearing at some informational stands that were put on the streets within the guidelines of the electoral process. Most of these stands still don’t have any other information.

06.04.2010 Scandalous blunder of Mahiliou vertical

It is a well-known fact that results of elections in Belarus have been determined in advance by high-rank officials of Belarus for many years already. It is not a secret that preparation to election finished in our country before the beginning of the election campaign. However, during these elections this information was announced officially for the first time.

06.04.2010 Polatsk district: candidates can’t get their agitation materials printed

About two weeks are left till the beginning of the voting. However, many independent candidates still don’t have printed agitation materials.

06.04.2010 Vitsebsk: 4 candidates of ‘Fair World’ withdrew from elections

The Vitsebsk city election commission granted the applications of four candidates of the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World for withdrawal from the elections. Halina Bareika withdrew from the Lazouskaya election constituency #12, Lidziya Sadulina – from the Shkolnaya election constituency #24, Halina Bahdanava – from the Paudniovaya election constituency #25 and Yulia Valadzko – from the Kirauskaya election constituency #25.

06.04.2010 BCD member Viktar Spruzh is not employed for political reasons

The administration of the paper mill Chyrvonaya Zorka refused to employ Viktar Spruzh, a member of the Belarusian Christian Democracy from Chashniki, because of his friendship with independent candidates and journalists.