The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for February 2014

10.02.2014 Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok denied food parcel

The administration of Mahiliou prison, where Mikalai Dziadok is kept, refused to accept a food parcel for him. The information came from the political prisoner’s spouse, Valeryia Khotsina, RFE/RL reports.

10.02.2014 Problem points of correctional facilities for juvenile offenders

In the monitoring of places of confinement of juvenile offenders human rights deffenders pointed at the lack of proper legal regulation of closededucational-correctional and medical-correctional institutions guarantteing the observance of human rights in them.

09.02.2014 Report on the results of the formation of precinct election commissions

Monitoring of the elections to the Local Councils of Deputies of the Republic of Belarus of the 27th Convocation is conducted by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" within the frames of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

08.02.2014 Mazyr PECs are formed by the principle: one enterprise – one commission

Mazyr District Executive Committee established precinct election commissions. The announcement about the relevant meeting of the executive committee was uploaded to its website just several hours befor the meeting.

08.02.2014 Homel region: courts uphold non-inclusion of “Fair World” members in election commissions

February 7, two appeals against the non-inclusion of members of the Belarusian Left Party "Fair World" in precinct election commissions were considered by courts.

08.02.2014 Aliaksandr Sakharuk regularly deprived of wage bonuses for membership in independent trade union

Crane operator of the 5th grade Aliaksandr, who works in the Office of mechanization No. 127 of Building Trust No. 8 in Brest, is strugglng for his accession to the collective agreement.

08.02.2014 Vitsebsk region has few places for election campaigning

The official websites of executive committees and regional newspapers published the decisions of local authorities, who determined theplaces for outdoors meetings with voters. The number of such places differs in each district, and quite often such places are quite far from the town centers.

08.02.2014 Concealment of information about the results of PECs formation appealed to Central Election Commission

A resident of Biaroza Tamara Shchapiotkina appealed to the CEC, pointing that the meeting of the Biaroza District Executive Committee on establishment of precinct election commissions did not comply with the principle of openness and transparency, guaranteed by Article 13, Part 1 of the Electoral Code. She also mentions that according to Art. Of the Law "On local government and self-government in the Republic of Belarus" the local administration is carried out including the principle of transparency.

07.02.2014 Polish MP met Natalia Pinchuk

Adam Lipinski met the spouse of political prisoner Ales Bialatski in Minsk. The reports come from Polish media.

07.02.2014 Vital Rymasheuski fined for "groundless call to police"

Former presidential candidate, co-chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Vital Rymashevski was fined 16 basic units for participation in a picket near the Kamarouski market.

07.02.2014 No representatives of opposition parties in PECs in Mahiliou region

Belarusian Leftist Party “Fair World” and the United Civil Party nominated 19 and 10 members to the precinct election commissions of the Mahiliou region respectively.

07.02.2014 Journalist summoned to prosecutor's office

Yury Dziashuk, independent journalist from Buiarozauka. received a subpoena from the Lida District Prosecutor's Office, to come to Assistant Attorney Zinouyeu on February 10.

07.02.2014 Prison administration shoot Ihar Alinevich's meeting with his parents on video

The administration of the Navapolatsk penal colony recorded the recent short-term meeting of political prisoner Ihar Alinevich on video and audio.

07.02.2014 Only nine partisans got incluled in the PECs created in Brest region

9,608 people were included in the 954 precinct election commissions created in the Brest region. The commissions are dominated by people who were nominated “by citizens” – 4,094 representatives (or 42.6 %).

07.02.2014 Aleh Ramashkevich warned for handing out newspapers in Vialikaya Berastavitsa

On February 6 at a local civil society activist Aleh Ramashkevich was invited to a meeting of the Berastavitsa District Election Commission, and later – to a meeting of a constituency election commission.