Vitsebsk: parental meetings are arranged at schools to make parents vote early

The teachers of the Vitsebsk secondary school #17 announced that a parental meeting would take place on 17 December and parents must come there with their passports.

’I don’t want to vote early, but I can’t do anything,’ said one of the parents. ‘Such situation is observed in the whole city.’ According to him, such parental meetings are most probably held in other towns and cities of Belarus.

Moreover, the resident of Vitsebsk states that street cleaners are forced to vote early as well. ‘They are intimidated with dismissal from work’. One of them even confessed that the administration of the local housing office ordered her not just to vote, but alto to do it ASAP and report to them about it.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections