News for January 2014

09.01.2014 Burglar caught in Vilnius KGB archive

A woman noticed a man trying to get out of a window of the Special Archive situated in the Genocide Victims Museum. The archive contains KGB documents dating back to the Soviet time.

09.01.2014 Drunk frontier guards held villagers at gunpoint

The head of Lelchytsy checkpoint and his subordinate threatened villagers with guns for casting dubious glances on them.

Officials see no discrimination of Belarusian language speakers in the legislative process

09.01.2014 Officials see no discrimination of Belarusian language speakers in the legislative process

Human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich has received replies from the authorities to his appeal to the Constitutional Court concerning discrimination of Belarusian-speaking citizens – virtually all the laws in the country are adopted in Russian, there is no official translation of legal acts into Belarusian, the other official language of the country. However, the officials don't regard it as discrimination.

Is activity of Klimavichy District Executive Committee's administrative commission a state secret?

09.01.2014 Is activity of Klimavichy District Executive Committee's administrative commission a state secret?

On 8 January the publisher of the independent news bulletins "Klimavichy Infa-Panarama” Siarhei Arzhanets was denied the right to attend a sitting of the administrative commission of the Klimavichy District Executive Committee.

Brest authorities refuse to register NGO because of its name

08.01.2014 Brest authorities refuse to register NGO because of its name

Main Department of Justice of the Brest Regional Executive Committee refused to register the educational association "Brest Christian Democrats". According to the reply, received by Chairman of the organizing committee of the NGO Dzmitry Shurkhai , the lawyers of the executive committee are of the opinion that the organization name does not meet the definition of a public association.

Oppositionists not included in constituency election commissions of Mahiliou

08.01.2014 Oppositionists not included in constituency election commissions of Mahiliou

Of all opposition parties, representatives were nominated to the constituency election commissions only by the United Civil Party.

No opposition activists included in territorial and constituency election commission in Homel region

08.01.2014 No opposition activists included in territorial and constituency election commission in Homel region

The territorial and constituency election commissions of the Homel region are completely "sterile". The representativs of the Left Party "Fair World" and the United Civil Party weren't included in any of them. According to the Central Election Commission, 60 constituency commissions, consisting of 780 members, were formed in the Homel region.

Mikalai Statkevich passes holiday greetings to friends and relatives

08.01.2014 Mikalai Statkevich passes holiday greetings to friends and relatives

His words were passed by his wife, Maryna Adamovich.

Mikalai Autukhovich turns 51: “You cannot fully understand freedom if you have never been in captivity”

08.01.2014 Mikalai Autukhovich turns 51: “You cannot fully understand freedom if you have never been in captivity”

On 7 January political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich turned 51. He has celebrated two previous birthdays in a cell on the ground floor of Hrodna prison.

Bialynichy candidates are sent to Lipavy Hai for campaigning

08.01.2014 Bialynichy candidates are sent to Lipavy Hai for campaigning

On 3 January the Bialynichy District Executive Committee adopted two important regulations concerning the campaign for elections to the local councils of 27 Convocation. They regulations were published on the website of the Executive Committee on January 6.

Homel region: office positions of members of territorial election commissions are indicated only in three districts

08.01.2014 Homel region: office positions of members of territorial election commissions are indicated only in three districts

During the latest years the authorities traditionally report about the strict abidance to privisions of the Electoral Code: that one third of the members of the territorial election commissioners represent the public and political parties. However, the office positions held by the commissioners aren't specified, because as a rule these are officers of executive committees and other state agencies, nominated to the commissions by “citizens” and trade unions.

Political activists gather signatures for the abolition of the car duty under a vigilant surveillance of the polie and security services

06.01.2014 Political activists gather signatures for the abolition of the car duty under a vigilant surveillance of the polie and security services

On 5 June the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka and the co-chairman of the campaign “For Fair Elections” Viktar Karniayenka gathered about 100 signatures for the abolition of the automobile duty and resignation of the government.

Ales Bialiatski's “Englightened by Belarusian Issue” prohibited for improt in Belarus

06.01.2014 Ales Bialiatski's “Englightened by Belarusian Issue” prohibited for improt in Belarus

In early January, a member of the Board of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" Tatsiana Reviaka received a letter signed by the deputy chief of Ashmiany customs A. Datchuk, which states that the customs received from the General Directorate of ideological work, culture and youth affairs of Hrodna Regional Executive Committee a conclusion of the expert committee on the results of the examination of the book “Enlightened by the Belarusian Issue", written by human rights activist and political prisoner Ales Bialiatski. The text of the expert conclusion wasn't submitted to T. Reviaka, though she asked about it after being informed about sending the book for examination.

Just one oppositionist include in a constituency election commission in Brest

06.01.2014 Just one oppositionist include in a constituency election commission in Brest

All in all, 697 out of the proposed 772 candidates were included in the 57 constituency election commissions for the elections to Brest Regional Council.

Record held in Hrodna: 60 election commissions established in 15 minutes

06.01.2014 Record held in Hrodna: 60 election commissions established in 15 minutes

On 4 January 60 constituency election commissions for elections to the regional council were formed at a sitting of Hrodna Regional Executive Committee, chaired by its chairman Uladzimir Krautsou. 11 people were included in each commission. The procedure of forming the commissions took just 15 minutes. Of course, nobody discussed the candidacies of all 660 nominees to the commissions.

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