Workers of Executive Committees Put Obstacles to Registration of Independent Candidates

Uladzimir Maliei, lawyer of Bierastsie branch of Human Rights Center “Viasna” has often helped people to defend their rights, represented their interests at trials, etc. He decided to put up his candidature for election to Malaryta district Deputy Soviet. However, at the very first stage of this process Malaryta district executive committee started to put obstacles to the human rights activist. His initiative group collected the necessary number of signatures and on January 14 went to the executive committee with the candidate on the head.

In the room of vice-Chairman of the executive committee H. Ihnatchuk members of the initiative group signed the sheets with the collected signatures. At that time H. Ihnatchuk went out of the room. When she entered it again she said that she wouldn’t sign these sheets as the signatures of the group members were put there in her absence. U. Maliei offered her to line the signatures through, write “The through lining is confirmed” on each of them, put her signature so that the group members could sign the sheets again. H. Ihnatchuk refused to do it and called the head of Malaryta district electoral committee Frantsavich who couldn’t find a way out of the situation either. Being asked about the telephone number of Bierastsie regional electoral commission he said that he had no idea and that it had been published somewhere in “Zarya” newspaper.

Uladzimir Maliei has already filed a complaint to the chairperson of Bierastsie regional electoral commission that will have to decide the matter in three-days’ term.