The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for October 2010

15.10.2010 Mikhail Bashura to be given new charges

The representative of the accusation Halina Koneva asked the court to give her some time to prepare a new accusation. As a result, the judge of the Savetski District Court of Minsk Kiryl Palupekh announced a break in the proceedings till 10 a.m. on 18 October.

14.10.2010 Salihorsk: human rights defenders obtained a copy of ‘Plan of organizational ideological provision of the election of President of the Republic of Belarus on 19 December 2010 on the territory of the Salihorsk district’

The document was signed on 23 September by the Chairperson of the Salihorsk District Executive Committee A Rymasheuski, the head of the organizational and personnel department V.Kokhan and the Deputy Chairperson on ideology, T.Subotsina.

14.10.2010 Central Election Commission warns electoral team of Uladzimir Niakliayeu

The Central Electoral Commission issued a warning to the electoral team of the potential candidate for president Uladzimir Niakliayeu for an alleged violation of the electoral legislation.

14.10.2010 Hary Pahaniaila sues Lidziya Yarmoshyna

The Maskouski District Court of Minsk turned down the lawsuit of the well-known Belarusian lawyer Hary Pahaniaila against Lidziya Yarmoshyna. Mr. Pahaniaila, the Chairperson of the legal commission of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, asked the court to declare unlawful the actions of the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna and oblige her to consider his complaint to the CEC not individually, but collegially, in cooperation with other members of the CEC, as it is demanded by the Belarusian laws.

14.10.2010 Brest: workers of relics plant are forced to sign for Lukashenka

As stated by workers of the Brest relics plant Slavianka, the administration of the plant ordered all of them to bring their passports and sign in support of the nomination of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as a candidate for the presidential election. The administration explained this order by saying that the enterprise was subordinated to the presidential administration and the refusal to support Lukashenka could bring troubles to it.

14.10.2010 Brest Regional Court obliged Biaroza District court to consider lawsuit of Tamara Shchapiotkina

The resident of the town of Biaroza (Brest region) Tamara Shchapiotkina received an answer of the Brest Regional Court to her appeal against the verdict of the Biaroza District Court that had refused to start civil proceedings concerning her non-inclusion in the Biaroza District Election Commission.

14.10.2010 Minsk Regional Court turns down complaint of activist of 'Speak Truth'

On 14 September the judge of the Salihorsk District Court Yahor Barysenka declared the activist of the civil campaign Speak Truth Andrei Tychyna guilty of unlawful distribution of the newspaper Prauda Niakliayeva and fined him 1,225,000 rubles (about $408). The activist appealed this verdict at the Minsk Regional Court.

14.10.2010 Baranavichy: local mailmen are obliged to deliver leaflets praising Belarusian state

The mailmen of Baranavichy are made to sign the undertaking to distribute the leaflets titled 'State is for the people! Everyone must know it!' According to the imprint, the leaflets were produced by open stock company Chyrvonaya Zorka. The total circulation of the leaflet is quite impressing – 48,000 copies.

14.10.2010 Zhodzina: state-owned press ignores ruling of executive committee

Noone knows the reasons why the state-owned newspapers of Zhodzina publish all ruling of the local authorities in the Saturday editions that are distributed only on subscription. The only place where a non-subscriber can find these newspapers is the Zhodzina library. Moreover, some rulings of the Zhodzina Town Executive Committee concerning the electoral process aren't published at all.

14.10.2010 British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office signed petition for abolition of death penalty in Belarus

The Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights Jeremy Browne and British Ambassador to Belarus Rosemary Thomas signed the petition against the death penalty in Belarus on 11 October, following the launch of the UK’s strategy for Global Abolition of the Death Penalty.

14.10.2010 Zhodzina: state-owned press ignores ruling of executive committee

13.10.2010 Formation of election precincts in Orsha

The Orsha Town Executive Committee established the election precincts in the towns of Orsha and Balbasava by its ruling #1456 of 11 October 2010.

UN Human Rights Committee to consider individual communication about violation of right to peaceful assemblies by Belarusian authorities

13.10.2010 UN Human Rights Committee to consider individual communication about violation of right to peaceful assemblies by Belarusian authorities

The UN Human Rights Committee has registered the individual communication of the Smaliavichy civil activist Yauhen Puhach concerning the violation of his right to peaceful assemblies and freedom of expression by the local authorities. The official Minsk has six months to submit to the Committee its commentaries on this case.

13.10.2010 Baranavichy: human rights defenders file proposals to Central Election Commission

On 13 October the Baranavichy human rights defenders Siarhei Housha and Karnei Piatrovich addressed the Central Election Commission with a proposal. The matter is that two members of the Baranavichy City Territorial Election Commission, Leanid Chukho and Larysa Antonava, are members of the electoral team of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Larysa Antonava is a proxy of the deputy of the Chamber of Representatives Sviatlana Pishch. Her candidacy was nominated for the election commission by the trade union of workers of state institutions. She also used to head the ideological department of the Baranavichy City Executive Committee. Leanid Chukho is a retired military officer who was nominated to the commission by the Belarusian Union of Military Officers. The both of them had worked at election commissions during previous elections.

13.10.2010 Minsk: state-owned press keeps silent about presidential election

During the recent weeks the state-owned newspapers of the Minsk region – Minski Kuryer, Viacherni Minsk and Prystalichcha haven’t told the readers even the surnames of the potential candidates for the presidential position. Only those who read the articles in the Officially column can conclude that an electoral campaign is held in the country because the authorities create election commissions.