News on the topic: elections-2020
07.08.2020 EU urges Belarus to respect fundamental freedoms as election nears
Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell ahead of the Presidential Elections
06.08.2020 “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” call to release observer Aliaksandr Burakou
“Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” call to immediately release human rights activist Aliaksandr Burakou and drop the administrative charges he is facing.
06.08.2020 FIDH and Viasna: As Protests Continue Ahead of Presidential Election, Authorities Must Refrain from Violence
Local human rights groups warn that the mobilisation of the military ahead of the August 9th elections could lead to further escalation of violence. FIDH and Viasna Human Rights Centre call on the Belarusian authorities to refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters and to ensure transparency throughout the electoral process.
05.08.2020 Numerous observers detained on first days of early voting
At least 11 election observers have been detained in various parts of Belarus after the early voting phase was launched on Tuesday, August 4, according to “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” and media reports.
05.08.2020 Accreditation of “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” observers and the start of early voting observation
The quotas of observers at polling stations introduced by CEC Resolution No. 115 made the election process completely inaccessible for independent observation and non-transparent to the public. This is a violation of one of the basic principles of democratic elections — the principle of publicity.
03.08.2020 Amnesty International: Armed forces have no business in dealing with protests
On 24 July, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka publicly stated that he was prepared to use the Armed Forces to “restore order” and put down street protests and demonstrations. This remark was made in the context of an upcoming presidential election on 9 August, in which the incumbent will be seeking re-election for his sixth term. It follows weeks of mass protests against electoral violations across the country, all of them peaceful except those that were brutally dispersed by the authorities which resulted in isolated incidents of police-provoked violence.
31.07.2020 Human Rights Watch: Arrests, Criminal Charges, Police Beatings Ahead of August 9 Presidential Vote in Belarus
Police in Belarus have arbitrarily arrested journalists, bloggers, and political activists ahead of the August 9, 2020 presidential election and pressed charges against two potential candidates, Human Rights Watch said today.
31.07.2020 Picks of the week
Minsk courts continue to convict innocent people on trumped-up charges; MFA blocks accreditation of foreign reporters ahead of August 9 election; 13 people arrested over July 14 protest
31.07.2020 Amnesty International condemns new charges against Siarhei Tsikhanouski
As the presidential election on 9 August approaches in Belarus, the authorities are stepping up their crackdown on all dissent without pause. On 30 July, they announced a new criminal investigation against prominent video blogger and opposition politician Siarhei Tsikhanouski.
30.07.2020 Tsikhanouski, Statkevich facing more charges
Opposition leader Mikalai Statkevich and critical vlogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski are facing new criminal charges, the Investigative Committee’s official Telegram channel said.
29.07.2020 Petitioners, journalists detained near KGB building in Minsk
A group of reporters were briefly detained by the police yesterday afternoon, July 29, after they arrived to the KGB headquarters in central Minsk to cover the filing of petitions requesting the release of arrested presidential nominee Viktar Babaryka, baj.by said. The police also detained some 40 people who came to file petitions.
28.07.2020 Protect peaceful protesters in Belarus
People around the world are deeply disturbed by images, video footage and reports coming out of Belarus, which expose a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters. Sign the petition demanding that police violence ends now.
24.07.2020 EU urges Belarus to release all arbitrarily detained political activists
An ad hoc meeting of EU and Belarus senior officials took place, today, in Brussels. The discussions focused on the situation in the field of human rights and democracy in the context of the upcoming Presidential elections in Belarus on 9 August.
22.07.2020 “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” demand transparency in voting and vote count
We once again call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure the full exercise of fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Copenhagen Document and other international human rights instruments.
22.07.2020 Independent observers banished from polling stations
The Central Election Commission has limited the number of observers who will be allowed to monitor the process of voting at polling stations, citing coronavirus statistics as the cause for the controversial decision.
