The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for December 2010

19.12.2010 Orsha: policeman and “supervisor” guard ballot box overnight

According to Orsha independent observers, unknown policeman together with another person presented as “supervisor” applied for “guarding” the ballot box at local polling station # 13 and were eventually granted permission by the election commission chair.

19.12.2010 Famous Belarusian musicians join observation campaign

Famous Belarusian musicians Liavon Volski and Aleh Khamenka have joined the ‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’ observation campaign.

19.12.2010 Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections observers driven from polling stations across Belarus

Reports have been received claiming that a number of observers representing the “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” election observation campaign have been driven from polling stations across the country, including Antanina Pivanos (Vitsebsk) and Natallia Samakhvalava (Mahiliou).

19.12.2010 Belarus: Let us not be fooled by the dictator’s Potemkin façade  

On Sunday December 19, a presidential election is held in Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship. On the surface this election is more democratic than the previous ones. But appearances are deceptive – the regime is still holding the Belarusian citizens in an iron grip and the improvements achieved are only cosmetic.

19.12.2010 Russian journalists were detained together with Malady Front activists in Minsk

The detention took place in an apartment in Minsk, when law-enforcement officials were carrying out 'passport controls'. The police took Malady Front activists Zmicier Yasevich, Veranika Veligor and Russian journalists Dmitry Ivanov and Maxim Petrov who work for National Control magazine.

19.12.2010 For Fair Elections campaign's phone lines switched off

The incoming calls to For Fair Elections campaign's phone were switched off on Saturday evening in Minsk.

19.12.2010 SIM-cards, prepared by For Freedom movement for election observers, are blocked

The SIM-cards that For Freedom movement planned to use for election observers have become blocked, For Freedom movement deputy chairman Yuras Hubarevich said in a statement.

19.12.2010 Prosecutor in Slonim warns activists over plans to take part in protests in Minsk

Ivan Bedka, regional coordinator of Vital Rymasheuski's campaign headquarters, on Saturday received an official warning from prosecutor's office in Slonim, Hrodna region, against violation of laws.

18.12.2010 Minsk police detain youth activists Dashkevish and Dziakava

Zmitser Dashkevich, member of the Young Front youth opposition movement, and activist Palina Dziakava have been reportedly detained by Minsk police. Three more activists have reported surveillance of their private apartments by law-enforcement agencies.

18.12.2010 Minsk election commission reads out pro-dem member

On 17 December, BPF activist Yury Shpak Ryzhkau was excluded from Minsk Leninski district election commission # 4 for alleged violation of the Electoral Code.

18.12.2010 Niakliayeu’s activist sentenced to 6 days of arrest

Kiryl Semianchuk, activist of Uladzimir Niakliayeu’s campaign team, has been sentenced to six days of administrative arrest by Hrodna court. The activist was detained outside the city’s central railway station on 17 December.

18.12.2010 Zhodzina observers harassed by employers

In continuation of harassment of independent observers by their employers (Andrei Zubra, Sviatlana Lapitskaya and Siarhei Salauyou), the ‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’ campaign received a complaint by Zhodzina observer Illia Khomich, who has been reportedly threatened with termination of employment agreement by his employer manager of local bread factory Aleh Zabarouski.

18.12.2010 Minsk students provide evidence of election coercion

The Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign representative shave received coverage of coercion to early voting by the administrations of Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics and the Belarusian State Pedagogic University.

18.12.2010 Barysau election commission holds six secret meetings

According to Barysau independent observers, local election commission has held six closed meetings during the election campaign. Only one meeting was attended by an observer.

18.12.2010 Student captures coercion to early voting

An anonymous student of Minsk State Technology College video-taped a fact of coercion to participating in early voting by the college administration. The video shows a curator forcing the students to tale part in early voting according to a list compiled by the college administration.