Baranavichy city procuracy again evades from implementing its duties

Observer Siarhei Housha received another runaround from the Baranavichy city procuracy, signed by prosecutor I.Palyka. As usual, the prosecutor didn’t give a substantial answer. He just wrote that his application was forwarded to colonel V.Herasimovich, head of the main police department, for holding a check-up.

On 28 March Mr. Housha filed applications with the Baranavichy procuracy and the Central Election Commission concerning the great number of abuses by the Baranavichy city territorial election commission. He attached to his application 10 copies of the documents witnessing the bad faith of the election commission during verification of the signature sheets of the opposition pretenders Dzmitry Auhust, Mikalai Charnavus, Ryhor Hryk, Viktar Meziak, Viktar Tsiapin and Halina Yarashevich (the commission allegedly found some 'mistakes' in the signature sheets and presented electors' statements about violations of the electoral legislation by the oppositionists). However, the latter ones didn't give up and soon presented their own documents witnessing the members of the election commission had acted in a provocative and deceitful manner during verification of the signature sheets. Dzmitry Auhust collected 5 appropriate statements of electors, Mikalai Charnavus – 6statements, and Ryhor Hryk – 5 statements.

That's why observer Siarhei Housha asked the procurator to:

1. check up the signature sheets and the signatures of the citizens whose 'statements' were presented by the commissions and who allegedly denied having put the signatures and the dates of signing in their own hand in the signature sheets of Dzmitry Auhust, Mikalai Charnavus, Ryhor Hryk, Viktar Meziak, Viktar Tsiapin and Halina Yarashevich, and hold a graphologic expertise of these documents;

2. take an appropriate legal decision and bring to the legal account the persons guilty of violating Article 64 of the Republic of Belarus and the Electoral Code in conformity with Article 49 of the Electoral Code;

3. oblige the territorial commission to review its unlawful decision and register the aforementioned candidates for deputies.

A similar application was submitted by Housha to the Central Election Commission. He asked to find the work of the Baranavichy city territorial election commission non-professional and violating the Constitution, to dissolve the commission and appoint the new election of the territorial commission. In her answer #01-12/H-111 of 5 April 2010, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, the CEC Chairperson, answered that the application was forwarded to the Brest regional election commission for a check-up.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections