The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 6 Apr 2010

06.04.2010 Homel: private printing houses refuse to publish agitation materials of candidates

Private publishing enterprises of Homel refuse to publish leaflets of independent candidate. As said by Sviataslau Shapavalau, a coordinator of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, candidate for the Homel regional Council of Deputies, at one of private enterprises he was told that there was a secret order to them not even to talk with the candidates who wanted to publish such production.

06.04.2010 Mazyr: state printing house refused to publish agitation materials for opposition candidate

On 6 April S.Dyliuk, director of the Mazyr state printing house Color refused to publish the agitation materials of Uladzimir Tseliapun, candidate for the Homel regional Council of Deputies.

06.04.2010 Baranavichy: Viktar Tsiapin continues struggling for truth

As we have already informed, Viktar Tsiapin, a Baranavichy member of the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World, wasn’t registered as a candidate for the city council because he had allegedly wrote the dates opposite the electors’ signatures, whereas it should have been done by them. Tsiapin’s complaint against the non-registration wasn’t granted by the Brest regional election commission.

06.04.2010 Uladzimir Matskevich: ‘Information stands as archeological monument of democracy’

The posters with information that the elections to the local Councils of Deputies will take place n 25 April have started appearing at some informational stands that were put on the streets within the guidelines of the electoral process. Most of these stands still don’t have any other information.

06.04.2010 Scandalous blunder of Mahiliou vertical

It is a well-known fact that results of elections in Belarus have been determined in advance by high-rank officials of Belarus for many years already. It is not a secret that preparation to election finished in our country before the beginning of the election campaign. However, during these elections this information was announced officially for the first time.

06.04.2010 Polatsk district: candidates can’t get their agitation materials printed

About two weeks are left till the beginning of the voting. However, many independent candidates still don’t have printed agitation materials.

06.04.2010 Vitsebsk: 4 candidates of ‘Fair World’ withdrew from elections

The Vitsebsk city election commission granted the applications of four candidates of the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World for withdrawal from the elections. Halina Bareika withdrew from the Lazouskaya election constituency #12, Lidziya Sadulina – from the Shkolnaya election constituency #24, Halina Bahdanava – from the Paudniovaya election constituency #25 and Yulia Valadzko – from the Kirauskaya election constituency #25.

06.04.2010 BCD member Viktar Spruzh is not employed for political reasons

The administration of the paper mill Chyrvonaya Zorka refused to employ Viktar Spruzh, a member of the Belarusian Christian Democracy from Chashniki, because of his friendship with independent candidates and journalists.

06.04.2010 Homel coalition of United Democratic Forces withdraws from elections

The Homel coalition of the United Democratic Forces (the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World and the United Civil Party) withdraws its candidates from the elections. This decision was taken by the council of the Homel regional UCP organization and the Homel regional committee of the Fair World. However, three members of each party continue running in the electoral race.

06.04.2010 Yauhen Yakavenka declared evader from military services and will be tried

The case on the evasion of Yauhen Yakavenka, activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, from the draft, was passed to the Tsentralny district court of Homel. He learned it on 6 April from a letter of the local procuracy.

06.04.2010 Court marshals in Anzhalika Borys' apartment

In Hrodna, court marshals came to the apartment of Anzhalika Borys, Chairperson of the Union of Poles in Belarus, in order to attach her property in connection with the 4,200,000 rubles fine that was imposed on her as the head of the Polonika firm (the firm was fined 122 million rubles).

06.04.2010 Baranavichy city procuracy again evades from implementing its duties

Observer Siarhei Housha received another runaround from the Baranavichy city procuracy, signed by prosecutor I.Palyka. As usual, the prosecutor didn’t give a substantial answer. He just wrote that his application was forwarded to colonel V.Herasimovich, head of the main police department, for holding a check-up.

06.04.2010 39 electors 'went missing' in Svetlahorsk district

Mikalai Lazarenka and Iryna Sarychava, members of constituency election commissions of the Svetlahorsk district (Homel region) who were nominated to the commissions by the Belarusian Party of Leftists Fair World, found a mismatch in the data published by two different commissions and addressed Siarhei Miarkulau, Chairperson of the Svetlahorsk district election commissions, Deputy Chairperson of the Svetlahorsk district executive committee on ideology, with an appropriate letters.