Pavel Levinau initiated two examinations at election commissions

The human rights activist applied to the prosecutor and the Investigative Committee with allegations of violations of the electoral legislation.

According to Pavel Levinau, the Investigative Committee shall verify the existence of grounds for bringing criminal cases against members of the Vitsebsk city election commission for abuse of power and the authority vested.

The human rights activist stated that Valiantsina Kazakouskaya, Chair of the city election commission, director of the cultural and business center "Pershamaiski" , initiated actions not provided for by the electoral law:

"A group of citizens nominated me as an observer to the city election commission on December 27, 2013. The following day, the commission members started paying visits to the apartments of these citizens demanding written evidence that they had nominated me as an observer. I called Mrs. Kazakouskaya and asked on what basis was it done. She stated that it was done on her own initiative and on the basis of the Code. However, she didn't manage to answer what Code she meant. As it was found later, the decision to hold the unauthorized examination was taken collegially. However, no legal acts of the Republic of Belarus provide for taking written explanations from the people who nominate observers to election commissions. That's why I think that this is not only a violation of applicable law, but also illegal pressure and intimidation of people who only use their right. In my statement I wrote that the actions of members of the Vitsebsk City Election Commission can serve as the basis for bringing criminal proceedings under Article 426 of the Criminal Code "Abuse of power and official authority".

Pavel Levinau's second appeal to the prosecutor and the Investigation Committee concerns violations in the work of the Budaunichaya election constituency No. 57. As it became known to the human rights activist, Ms. Kashalapava, senior nurse of the physiotherapy department of polyclinic No. 3, was nominated to the commission. According to the documents, she was nominated by the labor collective at a meeting at which L. Novikava was, chief physician of the polyclinic, was elected the meeting chairperson. The minutes of the meeting were signed by L. Novikava.

"Under these minutes, the meeting was attended by 263 members of the labor collective, and it was held in the hall of the polyclinic. This is the clinic that serves my neighborhood , and I have been there many times. During one of the visits there I decided to look at the hall of the polyclinic. I went in the hall and saw that it could house not more than 120 people. There are 72 seats, 5 more seats on the podium, and some 40 people could stand in the aisles. 263 people simply couldn't gather there! Since the minutes were signed by the meeting chairperson Novikava and secretary Verab'yova, I wrote in the appeal that there is reason to suspect forgery of the minutes for the nomination of nurse Kashlapanava to to the constituency election commission. Let the invetigators find out how the hall of the polyclinic became twice bigger to house the meeting participants!”

Thus, during the stage of the examination of documents of the potential candidates to the local councils, the election commissions are to be examined themselves by the competent state agencies. Mr. Levinau believes that the perpetrators must be punished according to the law in each case.

It's worth reminding that the human rights defender was nominated to the Vitsebsk regional and the Vitsebsk city election commissions, as well as to a constituency election commissions, but was not included in any of them, as he is known for his vigilant supervision over the observance of the electoral legislation.

"Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections"