The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 1 Oct 2008

01.10.2008 BPF candidate is returned to army on Election Day

Viktar Karatysh, a democratic candidate running at Luninets electoral constituency #13, was returned to his army unit before the end of the elections, though the law prohibits such actions.

01.10.2008 Salihorsk: Young Front activists are punished for anti-war picket

The commission on affairs of minors warned Illia Shyla, a 16-year old participant of a picket against the Russian intervention in Georgia, which had been held near the Russian Embassy on 11 August.

01.10.2008 Election miracles in Slonim and Horki

Though well-known in his native town, Doctor Ivan Sheha, candidate for the parliament from the Belarusian Popular Front Party, managed to win only 30% of votes. Strangely enough, in the only precinct where Sheha’s representative was included, he won the majority of votes, where’s the official candidate, head of Slonim district executive committee Mechyslau Kastsiuk won in all the rest.

01.10.2008 Alexander Chyhir starts serving arrest

On 1 October a public activist from Babruisk Ales Chyhir starts serving his 10-days’ arrest. He has been sentenced to this punishment within the frames of a criminal case that had been brought against him after an incident with a taxi driver. On 29 May the driver was driving Alexander, his wife and daughter home. The driver refused to issue a receipt to Chyhir and drove the passenger to the police station instead. There Mr. Chyhir was charged with threats to the driver, damage of the car and insubordination to the police. Though beaten by the police, Chyhir was found guilty and sentenced to ten days of jail. Despite the fact that the case was considered in summer, the politician is imprisoned only now.

01.10.2008 Withdrawal from official trade union at ‘BelWest’ shoes factory

The reason for the mass withdrawal of the factory workers from the official trade union is that the factory administration is trying to compensate a loss (which was registered as a result of August revision) at the expense of their wages. The revision found that 180 pairs of shoes were missing. The administration decided to exact money from the workers’ wages in order to cover the loss.

01.10.2008 Svetlahorsk: Such elections cannot be considered as democratic

In Svetlahorsk domestic election observers concluded that the parliamentary elections in Svetlahorsk election constituency were not free and democratic. There were no representatives of different political forces in the precinct election commissions and the observers were deprived of the opportunity to monitor the counting of votes. Some significant law violations were registered as well. The observers state that all these facts give sufficient grounds for doubts in the officially declared results of the elections.

01.10.2008 Elections in Baranavichy: figures do not match

Observers managed to get data on results of separate vote count at some polling stations. There’s a great difference between the results.

01.10.2008 Zhlobin: elections are neither free, nor democratic

Elections in Zhlobin constituency, like in the whole country, were not democratic and free, local independent authorities concluded.

01.10.2008 Elections are invalid in most constituencies of Homel

During the six days of the voting observers of the United Democratic Forces counted the number of voters and compared their figures with the figures of the commission. Observers state that falsifying the numbers of those who cast a vote was noticed first during the early vote.