The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 11 Sep 2008

11.09.2008 Vitsebsk: more obstacles to candidate Andrei Levinau

Colleagues addressed a former policeman, candidate Andrei Levinau with the request to deliver a speech to them.

11.09.2008 State NGO to pay active electors with tickets to a disco

Members of the ‘state NGO’ Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM) started the campaign ‘Youth and elections – formula of responsibility’. They have been recommended to hold actions with distribution of badges, brochures and other promotion materials. They will also give tickets to discos, concerts and the games of the Club of Creative and Cheerful to those who come to the electoral precincts in groups of more than five.

11.09.2008 Yarmoshyna issues unlawful order concerning numeration of polling stations in Minsk

The numeration of the polling stations in Minsk was performed with violation of the requirements of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus

11.09.2008 Homel oblast: members of United Civil Party leave constituency commissions

Members of the United Civil Parties stop their membership and work in the constituency electoral commissions in Homel oblast. They directed the appropriate statements to the presidium of Homel oblast soviet of deputies and to Homel oblast executive committee (the state agencies that had formed the commissions).

11.09.2008 Babruisk: number of citizens and polling stations is changed

The number of citizens is constantly growing in the new suburbs of Babruisk, where new houses are being built. In particular, the population of Zakhodni suburb has almost doubled since the previous elections. It means that the number of electors doubled as well.

11.09.2008 Human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich questioned as a witness in the case of Minsk blast

On 11 September the officers of Leninski district police department of Minsk questioned the human rights activist Uladzimir Labkovich as a witness in the case that had been brought on the fact of a blast in Minsk on 4 July.

11.09.2008 Vitsebsk: newspapers and magazines stolen from Barys Khamaida

A distributor of private press, well-known public activist Barys Khamaida, has been robbed. Unkown thieves have stolen from him several hundreds exemplars of the newspapers Narodnaya Volia¸ Nasha Niva and Kurier iz Vitebska, five magazines Arche and five compilations of Lukashenka’s sayings by Uladzimir Padhol.

11.09.2008 Brest: human rights activists and their families are questioned concerning 4 July blast

On 8 September officers of Brest police phoned to the human rights activists Raman Kisliak, Uladzimir Vialichkin and Mikhail Illin (Vialichkin’s son). The policemen asked where the people had been on 3-4 July and who could confirm it.

11.09.2008 Siarhei Salash is found guilty of defamation

On 10 September a judge of Barysau district court Alena Bachyshcha found an unregistered candidate for deputy Siarhei Salash guilty under Article #9.2 of the Administrative Code of Belarus and fined him 875 000 rubles (about $410).

11.09.2008 Head of observation mission of OSCE/ODIHR has friendly meeting with minister Navumau

On 10 September the Interior Minister of Belarus Uladzimir Navumau met with the head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, Geert-Hinrich Ahrens.