The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2015

11.09.2015 Long-term observers of OSCE visit Biaroza

36 long-term observers of the OSCE have arrived in Belarus to monitor the presidential elections. Six of them are in the Brest region – in Brest, Pinsk and Baranavičy.

11.09.2015 Who observes elections in Mahilioŭ?

Apart from the international mission of the OSCE, the election campaign has been monitored from its very beginning by "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" (including the HRC "Viasna" and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee), "Right to Choose-2015" and "For Fair Elections".

11.09.2015 Kryčaŭ District Executive Committee sends candidates to stadium

September 7, the Kryčaŭ DEC adopted ruling №22-5 «On information security and creating the conditions for pre-election campaign of candidates for president of the Republic of Belarus”, published on September 9 on the website of the local newspaper " Kryčaŭskaje Žyccio".

11.09.2015 Mikalai Statkevich intends to use possibilities of electoral campaign

At the unauthorized picket “For Free and Fair Elections”, held near the City Department Store (HUM) on September 10, former political prisoner and presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich promised to invite Aliaksandr Lukashenka to a meeting in the coming weeks.

11.09.2015 Picket “For Fair and Free Elections” held in downtown Minsk

Former political prisoner and presidential candidate of the Republic of Belarus in 2010 Mikalai Statkevich stated he would hold an electoral picket on September 10 with the demand of free elections. The action started at 6 p.m.

10.09.2015 Minsk authorities determined places for campaigning in Minsk

Minsk City Executive Committee has determined the sites for pre-election campaigning, as well as the list of premises for meetings of presidential candidates with voters and the list of places where informational boards could be installed for the purpose of placing the printed campaign materials of the candidates on them.

10.09.2015 Ales Bialiatski: death penalty is ineffective in crime prevention

Ales Bialiatski is a former political prisoner, Chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", who has served 2.5 years in the Babrujsk correctional colony. During his imprisonment he watched prisoners serving their sentences, including for murder.

10.09.2015 Conditions for campaigning get worse in Žodzina

The deterioration of the conditions for campaigning in Žodzina has been registered by an independent observer at the Žodzina City Election Commission Aliaksei Lapitski.

10.09.2015 Supreme Court upholds punishment to Aliaksandr Mekh for laying flowers

The Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the Kobryn District Court, according to which in December 2014 Aliaksnadr Mekh had been sentenced to a fine of 1.5 million rubles for the laying of flowers at the monument to Kanstantsin Kalinouski and Ramuald Trauhut in Svislach while honoring the memory of the heroes Kalinouski.

09.09.2015 Human Rights House Network celebrates its 20th anniversary

The International Human Rights House Network celebrates its 20th anniversary. The festivities with the participation of the Belarusian human rights defenders and representatives of non-governmental organizations are taking place these days are in Oslo.

09.09.2015 Invitation to press-conference on results of first part of electoral campaign 2015

At 11 a.m. on September 11, the civil campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" will hold a press-conference, dedicated to summarizing the monitoring results of the first stage of the presidential electoral campaign in Belarus.

09.09.2015 Viciebsk: school-children's parents forced to give written undertakings to vote for Lukashenka

At school No. 38 in Viciebsk, the parents who attended a parental assembly were told to give undertakings they would vote early for Lukashenka. This was reported to the coordinator of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Tatsiana Seviarynets by the mother of a first-grade pupil.

09.09.2015 Family is tried for “housing picket” in downtown Homieĺ

September 8 in Homieĺ Yauhen and Azaliya Hodars were judged for a picket they had held in the center of Homieĺ. The reason for the picket was that the family received just 48.3 square meter apartment instead 51.6, as was indicated in the contract they had signed with a construction firm.

09.09.2015 Human rights activists meet with PACE delegation

September 8, representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations had a meeting with a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the office of the EU Mission in Minsk.

09.09.2015 It is virtually impossible to find about working schedule of Brest PECs

According to an independent observer Uladzimir Vialichkin, the first organizational sittings of the precinct election commissions, formed within the frames of the current electoral campaign, were held without the public attention.