The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 18 Dec 2010

18.12.2010 Minsk police detain youth activists Dashkevish and Dziakava

Zmitser Dashkevich, member of the Young Front youth opposition movement, and activist Palina Dziakava have been reportedly detained by Minsk police. Three more activists have reported surveillance of their private apartments by law-enforcement agencies.

18.12.2010 Minsk election commission reads out pro-dem member

On 17 December, BPF activist Yury Shpak Ryzhkau was excluded from Minsk Leninski district election commission # 4 for alleged violation of the Electoral Code.

18.12.2010 Niakliayeu’s activist sentenced to 6 days of arrest

Kiryl Semianchuk, activist of Uladzimir Niakliayeu’s campaign team, has been sentenced to six days of administrative arrest by Hrodna court. The activist was detained outside the city’s central railway station on 17 December.

18.12.2010 Zhodzina observers harassed by employers

In continuation of harassment of independent observers by their employers (Andrei Zubra, Sviatlana Lapitskaya and Siarhei Salauyou), the ‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections’ campaign received a complaint by Zhodzina observer Illia Khomich, who has been reportedly threatened with termination of employment agreement by his employer manager of local bread factory Aleh Zabarouski.

18.12.2010 Minsk students provide evidence of election coercion

The Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign representative shave received coverage of coercion to early voting by the administrations of Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics and the Belarusian State Pedagogic University.

18.12.2010 Barysau election commission holds six secret meetings

According to Barysau independent observers, local election commission has held six closed meetings during the election campaign. Only one meeting was attended by an observer.

18.12.2010 Student captures coercion to early voting

An anonymous student of Minsk State Technology College video-taped a fact of coercion to participating in early voting by the college administration. The video shows a curator forcing the students to tale part in early voting according to a list compiled by the college administration.

18.12.2010 Human rights defenders’ appeal to President, Internal Ministry and KGB

Representatives of Belarus’ seven major human rights NGOs have released a joint statement, calling upon the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB to cease accelerating the atmosphere of fear during the Presidential election campaign and to desist from the use of violence against peaceful protesters.

18.12.2010 Baranavichy: final figures by observers mismatch those by election commissions

According to Baranavichy independent observers, by the end of the fourth day of early vote their data have drastically diverged from the figures provided by local election commissions.

18.12.2010 Nyaklyayeu: We will not make people clash with armed forces

If October Square is occupied by armed forces, armoured troop-carriers and the police on December 19, the presidential candidates will not send people to fight tanks.

18.12.2010 Presidential hopeful Vital Rymasheuski detained by police: exclusive on-line coverage

Vital Rymasheuski has reached his office. A traffic police car is parked nearby. Plainclothes agents remain on duty next to the backyard (VIDEO OF DETENTION)

18.12.2010 Brest observers to use binoculars to watch voting

Observers have decided to use binoculars and spy-glasses to watch the early voting in election centre #98 in Brest.

18.12.2010 Preliminary Monitoring Report on the FOURTH Day of Early Voting

Minsk, 10:00 am, 18 December, – “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” campaign presents its preliminary monitoring report on observation of the fourth day of early voting (17 December). The observation is being conducted by 600 short-term and 80 long-term observers at 300 polling stations throughout Belarus.