The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 8 Oct 2010

08.10.2010 Barysau authorities ban picket against death penalty

On 20 September the Barysau addressed the Barysau Town Executive Committee with the request to authorize a picket against the death penalty.

08.10.2010 Navalukoml: activist of electoral teams of Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Mikalai Statkevich signed out of psychiatric asylum after 15-day detention

The 50-year-old resident of the town of Navalukoml who intended to collect signatures for the nomination of Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Mikalai Statkeivich as candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus has been released from the Lepel psychiatric asylum after spending 15 days there.

08.10.2010 Vitsebsk: state-owned newspaper ’Vitsbichy’ writes only about one candidate

The article Many People near Picket (published in the issue of Vitsbichy for 7 October 2010), published in the city newspaper describes the successful work of collectors of signatures for nomination of Aliaksandr Lukashenka for the presidential election. The author tells the readers the precise location of the electoral picket – ‘at the crossing of Lenin Street and Frunze Avenue, near the book office’, and even offers a description – ‘a sign with the inscription ‘Collection of signatures for the nomination of Lukashenka Aliaksandr Ryhoravich a candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus’ and a desk with the Constitution and the Electoral Code on it’.

08.10.2010 Head of Slutsk district branch of Uladzimir Niakliayeu’s electoral team is dismissed from work

Anatol Yurevich, the head of the electoral team of the democratic candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu in the Slutsk district, was informed about the breach of the labor contract. On 7 October he was invited to the personnel department of the Slutsk building site of Minskenerhaspetsramont where he was working as a chief foreman and was proposed to sign the notice about the breach of the contract.

08.10.2010 New facts of forced signing for Aliaksandr Lukashenka

A worker of the central city library of Brest phoned to the editorial board of the Brestsiy Kurier newspaper and told that the administration of the library obliged all its workers to bring their passport and sign in support of the nomination of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s candidacy for the presidential election.

08.10.2010 Collector of signatures in support of Uladzimir Niakliayeu is not let in Salihorsk dormitories

On 5 October Andrei Tychyna came to the dormitory of the Salihorsk Pedagogical College to collect signatures for the potential presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu. However, the janitor refused to let him without permission of the college administration. On 7 October he addressed the Deputy Chairperson of the college on education (and also the college ideologist), L.Rumiantsava, but received a refusal with reference to prohibition to collect signatures in the dormitories of educational establishments.

08.10.2010 Mahiliou Regional Court turned down lawsuit of ‘Fair World’

On 7 October the judge of the Mahiliou Regional Court Sviatlana Stalmakhova considered the lawsuit of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World concerning the non-inclusion of its representative Anatol Zauyalau in the Mahiliou Regional Election Commission.

08.10.2010 Maladechna: state media pay most attention to Lukashenka’s candidacy

The state-owned newspapers of Maladechna mention Lukashenka near all materials concerning the presidential election, whereas all other potential candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus were mentioned only once, in connection with the registration of their electoral teams.