16.12.2010 Barysau: workers of BATE plant ask for notices confirming their early voting

The observers of the For Freedom movement and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee who observed the early election at precinct election commission #7, located in secondary school #16 of the town of Barysau, witnessed a strange thing.

16.12.2010 Hrodna: commission chairperson threatens to send observers away

An interesting incident was registered at electoral precinct #4 , located in the House of Creative Work of Children and Juniors in the Leninski district of Hrodna. The Chairperson of the precinct electoral commission warned the independent observers Raman Baranouski and Liudmila Stsiarnitskaya for counting the voters who were coming to the precinct.

16.12.2010 Polatsk: soldiers come to early voting in columns

Facts of pressurization of voters during the first day of the early voting were registered in Polatsk.

16.12.2010 Members of Young Belarus witness bringing of ballot box out of electoral precinct

A ballot box was taken to another room during the lunchtime.

Members of Young Belarus organization Pavel Prakapovich, Mikalai Stseshyts and Viktar Yazubchyts recorded a violation of the electoral legislation at a polling station in the Tsentralny district of Minsk.

16.12.2010 Amnesty International UK issues a briefing outlining key human rights concerns in Belarus

’The human rights of people in Belarus are routinely abused by the state. Freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest are not respected. Human rights defenders are harassed. We have serious concerns about unfair trials and the use of torture in detention. This is all the more worrying because Belarus is the only country in Europe still to retain the death penalty,’ said Amnesty international UK Director Kate Allen.

16.12.2010 Minsk: participant of Hide Your Grandma’s Passport clip expelled from university

The rector of Belarusian State University signed the order for his expulsion back on 15 October. However, the student was informed about it only on 14 December. The official reason for the expulsion is missing the university classes.

16.12.2010 Hrodna: police disrupt picket against early voting

The members of Uladzimir Niakliayeu's electoral team from Hrodna Aleh Kalinkou and Kiryl Semianchuk held a picket against early voting near Hrodna State Agrarian University.

16.12.2010 Minsk: activists of Citizen hand out symbolic writs to members of election commissions

Activists of the civil campaign Citizen started going round the precinct election commissions in Minsk. They plan to remind each of the 9,000 members of these commissions about the criminal responsibility for incorrect counting of votes and other violations of the electoral legislation.

16.12.2010 Young Front tells Makei to lay down weapons

Three activists of the Young Front were detained by the police for picketing the Presidential Administration on 15 December. According to one of the detainees, they held the action in connection with the recent statements of the head of the Presidential Administration, Uladzimir Makei, that the opposition was preparing terrorist acts with explosives for 19 December.