The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 12 Sep 2008

12.09.2008 Scandalous news from Maskouski district of Minsk

In August the newspaper Vesti Moskovskogo Rayona, the printed organ of Maskouski district executive committee of Minsk, published two issues under the #5 (109). No, it was not just doubling of the officially stated circulation of 10 000 copies. Only the information ‘August 2008, #5 (109)’ and ‘circulation 10 000 copies’ can be found in both of them. On the other hand, the majority of the electors did not receive these numbers, despite such ‘doubling’. By the way, the information about the personnel of the constituency electoral commissions situated on the territory of this administrative district was published in one of these issues.

12.09.2008 First application for holding action of protest against rigged elections on 28 September

On 12 September an application for authorization of a protest meeting for 1 000 people on 28 September in Kalinouski Square was submitted to Minsk city executive committee.

12.09.2008 Vitsebsk oblast: agitator detained by policemen with machine guns

On 10 September Sianno district police department held an operation on armed seizure of a ‘criminal’ in the post office of the town of Sianno.

12.09.2008 Mahiliou: Lidziya Yarmoshyna sweeps aside complaint of human rights activists

Alexander Karaliou and Zmitser Salauyou, human rights activists from Mahiliou, received an answer from the head of the Central electoral commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna to their complaint concerning the refusal to admit observers to the procedure of verification of genuineness of the electors’ signatures by the electoral commission of constituency #85.

12.09.2008 Horki: warning to democratic candidate

The electoral commission of Horki constituency #81 issued a warning to the candidate Andrei Yurkou after his adherents had posted several agitation posters in Mstsislau and Horki.

12.09.2008 Barysau: candidate-deputy Huminski feels no remorse

The latest issue of a state newspaper Yedinstvo was again decorated with a photo of the MP Viktar Huminski, who is running for the third term. This time, in the high gear of the agitation campaign, the deputy awarded a disabled child who won the contest of the art works dedicated to Belarus and mother tongue. Bear in mind that during the eight years of his being an MP Huminski has never spoke in parliament in Belarusian and also voted for repeal of all social guarantees to the population, including guarantees to disabled children.

12.09.2008 Polatsk: different ‘equal’ conditions

Two candidates at Polatsk electoral constituency #28 conduct their electoral campaign in different conditions.

12.09.2008 Vitsebsk: double standards for candidates

Recently the electoral commission of Vitsebsk-Chyhunachnaya constituency #19 has gathered for a sitting in order to take a decision on repeated broadcast of the speech of candidate Andrei Levinau (during the first broadcast the sound was suddenly cut off while Levinau was calling the electorate not to vote early).

12.09.2008 Common people declare boycott of elections

On 11 September after visiting the General Prosecutor’s office about 40 citizens from different districts of the country declared boycott to the parliamentary elections and called on everyone who had suffered from self-will of the officials to join this action. These people also adopted an appropriate address.