The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 26 Mar 2010

26.03.2010 Vitsebsk region: shrewd losses among opposition parties

The opposition of Vitsebsk region have to a great extend lost opportunities to maintain large-scale participation in the election campaign, after it was announced that many of the pro-democratic activists were not registered by local election commissions.

26.03.2010 Svetlahorsk district: democrats lose two candidates

Only 6 pro-democrat activists were registered candidates for the Svetlahorsk district council.

26.03.2010 Hrodna region: part of pro-dem activists not registered

The city of Hrodna 14 out of 30 constituencies will be non-alternative, with a total of 55 candidates registered. Dzmitry Slutski, the UCP Hrodna city office chair, was refused registration due to an error in his income declaration. Other opposition activists who were refused registration as candidates include two members of the ‘Just World’ party.

26.03.2010 None of 13 Babruisk BCD activists registered

13 Babruisk members of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party were refused registration as candidates due to various reasons, e.g. Viachaslau Sheleh’s application was turned down after the election commission declared 3 signatures collected by his campaign team fake.

26.03.2010 1 out of 10 pro-dem Baranavichy activists registered as candidate

Only one oppositional activist out of 10 pro-dem politicians who submitted their applications was registered as a candidate for the town council, with 33 out of 36 Baranavichy constituencies being non-alternative.

26.03.2010 Homel BCD coordinator refused registration

Kastus Zhukosuki, Homel regional coordinator of the creation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party was not granted registration as a candidate for the city council, but was allowed to run for the Homel Regional Council.

26.03.2010 European HR organizations condemn detention of Viasna activists

Civil Rights Defenders (Sweden), Belarusian Human Rights House (Lithuania), Human Rights House Foundation (Norway) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee condemn the detention of three activists of the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’. "They were supposed to have applied for permission to assembly, but since the organisation they represent has been denied official registration several times, the application would not have been granted. In practice their right to assembly is severely restricted" says AneTusvik Bonde, Regional Manager at the Human Rights House Foundation.