The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 15 Nov 2010

15.11.2010 Vitsebsk Region Election Commission agrees to use transparent ballot boxes

The commission finally accepted the proposal of the Chairperson of the Vitsebsk region organization of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World Mikalai Selivashka which he had made during the previous election. However, now they need to find the sources of financing for it.

15.11.2010 Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Andrei Sannikau are going to oppose rigging of election together

On 12 November the potential candidates for the presidential position Uladzimir Niakliayeu and Andrei Sannikau held a joint press conference in Minsk. They announced about cooperation and coordination of their activities.

15.11.2010 Salihorsk: materials of verification of signatures are kept in secret

The observer at the Salihorsk District Election Commission (DEC), member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Leanid Markhotka wasn’t allowed to familiarize with materials of the verification of signature lists. L.Markhotka passed to the Salihorsk DEC a complaint about it right after the announcement of the scandalous results of the verification of signatures in the Salihorsk district.

15.11.2010 Mazyr: conditions for canvassing are getting worse

The Mazyr District Executive Committee determined the places where the candidates for President and their proxies would be allowed to hold canvassing. The appropriate ruling considerably reduced the number of places where indoor and outdoor electoral meetings can be held and limited the number of places for putting electoral materials in comparison with the previous election.

15.11.2010 Hrodna region: black list of ‘unreliable persons’ keeps growing

On 14 November the activist of the campaign team of Vital Rymasheuski Mikola Bausiuk was detained at the frontier point Pryvalka. He was set down the bus by which he was returning home from Lithuania and kept at the frontier point for about 2 hours. He was subject to personal examination. His belongings were searched as well. Mr. Bausiuk is convinced that such attention from the side of border guards is connected to his participation in the electoral process.

Activists of <em>Speak Truth</em> detained for flash-mob

15.11.2010 Activists of Speak Truth detained for flash-mob

Activists of the civil campaign Speak Truth held a street actions You should Hide Garbage, Not Votes. They put black garbage bags on litter bins and posted on them stickers You should Hide Garbage, Not Votes.

15.11.2010 Drugs planted to apartment of Young Front activist?

Several days ago the house of the Young Front member Andrei Kuzminski was visited by representatives of the Polish police and two investigators from Minsk. They stated that a criminal case had been instigated on him on suspicion in drug trade. At present the Belarusian side demands Andrei’s extradition from Poland, where the activist asked for political asylum.

15.11.2010 Police hinder distribution of Novy Chas

The police blocked the minibus that transported the circulation of the fresh issue of Novy Chas.

15.11.2010 Activist of Belarusian Christian Democracy detained for stickers

The activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, 24-year-old Anto Kotau was detained in the night of 11-12 November in the Pershamaiski district of Minsk where he was posting stickers with the word ‘Retire!’ He was charged with violation of the sanitary norms under Article 21.14 of the Code of Administrative Violations.

15.11.2010 ‘Fate of Mikalai Autukhovich depends on everyone’

On 10 November in Minsk the film producer Volha Mikalaichyk presented her new documentary Travel across Endless War. The film is dedicated to the veteran of the War in Afghanistan, political prisoner and former entrepreneur Mikalai Autukhovich.

15.11.2010 Review-Chronicle of Human Rights Violations in Belarus in October 2010

In October participants of the campaign Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections observed the following stages of the electoral campaign – the collection of signatures in support of the potential candidates for President (ended on 29 October) and the nomination of candidates to precinct election commissions, one of the key mechanisms of the electoral process that directly organizes the voting and the counting of votes. 11 pretenders for presidency passed more than 100,000 signatures to territorial election commissions. 10 of them were registered as candidates and continued taking part in the electoral race. Observers of the campaign continued registering cases of violation of the electoral legislation by administrations of state enterprises and organs which manifested in collection of signatures during working hours and forcing in the process of collection of signatures. The nomination of candidates for precinct election commissions ended on 31 October. An insignificant number of representatives of oppositional parties were included in them (about 0.25% of the total number). Territorial election commissions denied observers in observing the verification of signatures for the nomination of candidates.