The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for September 2008

28.09.2008 Baranavichy: members of electoral commissions tour villages and ‘catch’ electors

According to the information of Ales Slabatsin, observer of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Ales Slabadzin, three groups of members of the electoral commission of polling station #1 of Baranavichy village constituency #7 simultaneously drove away for a ‘tour’ across villages.

28.09.2008 New ways to prevent protests in Kastrychnitskaya Square

At present one can come to Kastrychnitskaya Square in the center of Minsk quite easy. There are no police cordons. During the presidential elections’2006 the square was turned into a skating rink. This time eight decorative constructions have been put there. They occupy one third of the square’s territory. The constructions consist of iron columns with flowerpots on the top and improvised flowerbed on the bottom. Now the center of the square is a large decorative flowerbed, and two other flowerbeds stand in a small distance from the first one.

28.09.2008 Mahiliou: is member of precinct commission ill with dipsomania?

Ales Paplyka, election observer at precinct #54 of Mahiliouskaya constituency #85 noticed inadequate behavior of a member of the precinct commission. He suspected that he was in the state of alcoholic inebriation and started registering this incident. His guess was supported by an observer of the Belarusian Popular Front Vital Makaranka, who started composing an appropriate act as well. In response the head of the commission explained that the member of the commission was not drunk, he was just feeling unwell and an ambulance would soon come to take him away.

28.09.2008 Samples of laudatory reports about the elections has been prepared for Minsk observers

According to Ales Lahvinets (an unregistered candidate at Sukharauskaya electoral constituency #102) at polling stations #369 and #371 of this constituency the observers of pro-governmental organizations and working collectives have received samples of laudatory reports about the parliamentary elections for international observers. In such statements the ‘observers’ must state that there were no violations during the procedure of voting, the election was conducted publicly and transparently and the conditions for monitoring were the best that one could imagine.

28.09.2008 Drahichyn: Dead man wants to vote at home

An observer reported about the results of monitoring of the process of home voting at precinct #1 in Drahichyn electoral constituency #10. Some of the 70 people who allegedly ‘wanted’ to vote at home could not do it even if they really wanted to: in one case a family had moved to Russia a year ago, and in another the voter who allegedly wanted to vote at home, was already dead.

28.09.2008 Belaaziorsk: proxy gets expelled from polling station

Election observer Ihar Salavei, a proxy of a candidate for deputy Yury Hubarevich, has been expelled from polling station #16, situated at secondary school #3 in Belaaziorsk (Biaroza electoral constituency #9).

28.09.2008 Tendency remains the same: observers cannot receive information

No information is given to observer Volha Kulazhyna at polling station #24 of electoral constituency #84.

28.09.2008 Agitation continues?

According to the information of Siarhei Kuzmianok, a candidate at Hrodna-Zaniomanskaya electoral constituency #49, agitation for the head of Hrodna city executive committee Aleaxander Antonenka (pro-governmental candidate) continues. For instance, the agitation production of Antonenka continues hanging at secondary school #20 on the Election Day.

28.09.2008 List of home-voters was composed without electors’ applications

Anatol Paplauny, observer at polling station #8 of Homel-Pramyslovaya electoral constituency, states that the list for home voting had been prepared by the electoral commission in advance.

28.09.2008 Vitsebsk: Where’s the truth?

The situation at precincts #21 and #22 of Vitsebsk-Chyhunachnaya electoral constituency #19 is quite interesting. Precinct #21 is situated on the territory of the clinical hospital and #22 – on the territory of military unit #52400.

28.09.2008 Unauthorized person sealed ballot box for five days

Only today, on 28 September, it has been found that Iryna Ivaniushkina, a member of precinct commission #15 of Baranavichy district electoral constituency #5 was fooling the observers Mikalai Severtsau and Yauhen Dauhilovich during the five days of early voting.

28.09.2008 Miracle in Mazyr: agitation stands appear… after the end of agitation period

Recently an election observer Uladzimir Tseliapun has complained to the head of Mazyr district executive committee A.Lis and Mazyr town procuracy about non-implementation of the ruling of Mazyr district executive committee for provision of places for agitation production. On 28 September the information stands suddenly appeared, though the agitation stage is already over.

28.09.2008 First detentions in Minsk

The first detentions on the eve of the action of protest in Kastrychnitskaya Square have been registered already. Several hours ago the police detained a youth activist Uladzimir Shved near the apartment of the deputy-head of the Young Front Arthur Finkevich.

28.09.2008 Svislach: commission controls for who electors vote

In the village of Zamki in Svislach district of Hrodna oblast electors are given ballots without signatures of commission members. Only after an elector fills a ballot, it is signed by a member of an electoral commission and then returned to an elector, so that he could throw it into the ballot box.

28.09.2008 Mahiliou: attempt to expel observer from polling station

Drawing up an act about violation of the electoral laws is interference with the activities of the commission’s work, this is the way such actions of observers are considered by the head of precinct commission #98 of electoral constituency #86.