The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 10 Nov 2010

10.11.2010 Vitsebsk: human rights defender appeals non-inclusion in precinct commission

Pavel Levinau had been nominated to PEC #35 in Vitsebsk by about 150 residents of Vitsebsk, but hadn’t been included in it. Mr. Levinau discovered a number of violations of the electoral legislation during the formation of the commission.

10.11.2010 Vitsebsk: police hold check-up concerning forgery of signatures by campaign team of Uladzimir Pravalski

The Pershamaiski District Election Commission received the greatest number of signatures in support of Uladzimir Pravalski – more than 100,000. According to the official information of the commission, the signature sheets that were passed to it by the campaign team don’t look as real even at first look. That’s why they were passed to the Pershamaiski District Police Department of Vitsebsk that holds a check-up. The police experts have already discovered that a part of the signature sheets had been produced with the use of Xerox.

10.11.2010 Slonim: newspaper predicts results of election

The newspaper of the Slonim District Executive Committee Slonimski Vesnik didn’t write anything about the collection of signatures for the nomination of presidential candidates. However, on 10 November it suddenly published as many as three articles in the column Election-2010 in its front page.

10.11.2010 Shklou: observer visited by police

In the morning of 9 November the police paid a visit to the apartment of the observer at the Shklou District Election Commission Mikhail Kucharenka. They were trying to figure out why Mikhail Kucharenka and other publica activists from the Shklou district were collecting signatures against the transfer of local water bodies to private entrepreneurs this summer.

10.11.2010 Mikalai Dziadok holds on

The investigation into the criminal case against the student of the European Humanities University Mikalai Dziadok was extended for six months, and the term of his keeping in custody – for five months. So far Mikalai Dziadok has been given charges under Article 339, part 2 – ‘hooligan actions conducted by a group of individuals’.

10.11.2010 Gender misbalance in Hrodna PECs

A detailed analysis of the composition of the precinct election commissions of Hrodna shows a great prevalence of women. For instance, there are 779 people in the 66 PECs of the Leninski district of Hrodna, 557 (74%) of which are women. Some commissions consist solely of women: PEC ##31, 35, 52, 57 and 58. There is just one man in each of the following commissions: PEC#6, 9, 14, 17, 27, 30, 34, 39 and 54. A similar situation is observed in the PECs of the Kastrychnitski district of Hrodna.

10.11.2010 Biaroza: not all members of district election commission are trusted to verify signatures

On 8 November the Biaroza District Election Commission held a sitting to announce the results of the verification of the signatures in support of the potential presidential candidates. As it follows from the voiced information, the signatures were verified by just 6 members of the election commission: Ya.Kashtalian, V.Kuzmin, H.Muratava, A.Nelipovich, A.Pralich and M.Redzko.

10.11.2010 Mazyr District Executive Committee: ‘working groups’ mustn’t interest observers

The Mazyr DEC refused to familiarize observer Uladzimir Tseliapun with its ruling about the establishment of the so-called ‘working groups’ that had actually formed the precinct election commissions in the Mazyr district.

10.11.2010 Vitsebsk: journalist not invited to sittings of district election commissions

Leanid Svetsik got registered at the Kastrychnitski, the Pershamaiski and the Chyhunachny district election commissions of Vitsebsk as an independent journalist. Now he has to compose complaints: he hasn’t missed three sittings of the Pershamaiski and the Chyhunachny DECs already as he wasn’t invited to them.

10.11.2010 More election related trials in regions

On 8 November the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou considered three cases concerning the non-inclusion of opposition members in precinct election commissions. The democrats' lawsuits were turned down in all three cases. The court declared that the decisions concerning the formation of the precinct election commissions were lawful and met the criteria according to which people had been included in them. The court verdicts are without appeal.