14.08.2012 Political prisoner Pavel Seviarynets appeals against illegal censorship

Political prisoner Pavel Seviarynets filed two complaints to the Department of Corrections and the Prosecutor General's Office at the ungrounded ban for political prisoners Yauhen Vaskovich and Mikalai Statkevich to hold correspondence with him, bchd.info reports.

14.08.2012 Haradok District Court turns down oppositionists' appeals against non-inclusion in precinct election commissions

The court turned down the appeals of the Vitsebsk council of the Belarusian Popular Front and the regional committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) demanding to turn down the ruling of the Haradok District Executive Committee concerning the establishment of PECs.

14.08.2012 Lidziya Yarmosyna: monitoring of verification of signatures “is not based on the law”

The head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna stated this in her answer to the Mahiliou human rights defender Aliaksei Kolchyn, registered as an observer at constituency election commission #85.

14.08.2012 Ideologist of Svetlahorsk car park “holds a talk” with a canvasseur

In Svetlahorsk, the ideologist of car park #5 Anton Satarau summonsed to his office a member of the electoral team of a prospective candidate for the Parliament, the head of the Svetlahorsk district organization of the Belarusian leftist party “Fair World” Siarhei Daineka.

14.08.2012 Head of Pinsk city organization of the Belarusian Popular Front applies to prosecutor's office

Aliaksandr Ramanovich is of the opinion that the comments at one of the local websites presented harm to his honor and dignity. He tries to stop the black PR campaign against himself by applying to the prosecutor's office.

14.08.2012 Alena Dubovik demands compensation for moral damage resulting from prison conditions

Alena Dubovik, detained together with friends during a concert held on 24 March at the Culture House of the Minsk Tractor Plant, sued the main police department of the Minsk City Executive Committee for compensating the moral damage incurred as a result of her stay in the detention facility in Akrestsin Street in Minsk.

14.08.2012 Baranavichy observer charged with “disorderly conduct” addresses prosecutor

Observer Siarhei Housha filed a written application to the Baranavichy prosecutor against actions of officers of the Baranavichy District Police Department. On 2 August he was summonsed to room #100 of the Baranavichy DPD by police inspector Mikalai Kudrautsau in connection with an administrative case brought against him under Article 17.1, “disorderly conduct”.

14.08.2012 Prospective candidate Valiantsina Kaliaka issued with a warning

At 4 p.m. on 13 May a sitting of Lahoisk constituency election commission #75 was held in presence of observers from Smaliavichy and the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” and the prospective candidate Valiantsina Kaliaka, an activist of the civil campaign “Tell the Truth”.

14.08.2012 Political prisoner Frantskevich forced to apply for pardon

Tatsiana Frantskevich, the mother of political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich, and a lawyer visited the “Vouchyia Nory” penal colony. The mother of the political prisoner told charter97.org Aliaksandr Frantskevich, who had a kidney removed after an accident, was thrown into a punishment cell for refusal to fulfill insulting demands of the prison authorities.

14.08.2012 Another independent journalist summonsed to prosecutor's office

More than 10 independent journalists received verbal and written notices from prosecutor office and KGB in 2012.

14.08.2012 Belarusian Association of Journalists launches a campaign for the release of journalist Anton Surapin

The Board of BAJ urges all who sympathize with independent journalism to sign a petition to free the photographer.

14.08.2012 Report on Monitoring the Formation of Precinct Election Commissions

August 13th, 2012

During the period from the 6th to the 8th of August local administrations, rayon and city executive committees formed 6, 301 precinct election commissions (PEC) which altogether have 68, 945 members. Commission members were selected from the pool of the individuals nominated until August 5 by organizational structures of political parties and non-commercial organizations, working collectives, and by groups of citizens (through signature collection). This stage of the electoral process is important because precinct election commissions are in charge of organizing the voting process at polling stations, including handing out ballot papers to voters and vote count.