The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 21 Mar 2014

21.03.2014 Human Rights House Network: States should support human rights defenders

In March 2013, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the protection of human rights defenders. It establishes principles and standards for States to create an enabling environment for human rights defenders. One year after its adoption, the Human Rights House Network calls upon States to implement this resolution.

21.03.2014 Third day of early voting: turnout discrepancies growing

On March 20, the third day of early voting in the local council elections, observers of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" registered a number of violations: the most common of which is a significant overstatement of voter turnout as compared to observers’ estimations.

21.03.2014 Another BCD observer stripped of accreditation

Andrei Dabravolski, an activist of the organizing committee of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy", has been deprived of an observer’s accreditation in Minsk polling station No. 52 of constituency No. 20, BCD’s press-service reports. The activist has been involved in the campaign "Right to Choice".

21.03.2014 Election officials order to destroy BPF candidate’s leaflets

A BPF candidate Illia Dabratvor has received a decision from Minsk’s Zavodskaya District Election Commission issuing a warning, after the election officials saw signs of incitement to ethnic hatred between Russians and Belarusians in the candidate’s election leaflets. The back side of the leaflets had information about political prisoners, which was viewed as slandering officials.

21.03.2014 Baranavichy court fines anti-war protester

On March 21, the Baranavichy District and City Court considered the administrative case of Uladzimir Hundar, who organized a picket on March 4 in the center of Baranavichy to protest against the war between Russia and Ukraine. The case was heard by Judge Stanislau Pivavar.

21.03.2014 Relatives of death convict Uladzislau Kavaliou ask Supreme Court to declassify place of burial

Mother and sister of Uladzislau Kavaliou executed on charges of organizing a terrorist attack in the Minsk metro in 2011 have sent a supervisory appeal to the Chairman of the Supreme Court. They ask to cancel the decision of the Court of Minsk’s Kastrychnitski district and the Board of Civil Affairs of the City Court. Both courts refused to institute civil proceedings against the KGB, the Interior Ministry and the Department of Corrections over their refusal to provide information about the burial place of their son.

21.03.2014 CEC: results of vote count should be separated by type of voting

The results of counting of votes for each type of voting should be announced separately, says a response received by Biaroza observers from Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna.

21.03.2014 Astravets court refuses to restore registration of only independent candidate

Elections in Astravets district will be absolutely uncompetitive, after the District Court dismissed the complaint by local civil society activist Mikalai Ulasevich, the last pro-democratic candidate running in the region.

21.03.2014 Candidate in Baranavichy complains about ban on radio speech

A candidate in Baranavichy, Mikalai Charnavus sent an urgent appeal to the court to challenge unlawful actions by the Chairperson of the Election Commission in constituency No. 21 Larysa Antonava. In his complaint, the candidate says that he is at a disadvantage with other candidates, as he has prepared a speech on the radio, but the Election Commission has done everything to block his appearance.

21.03.2014 Salihorsk resident wants access to customs examination of Lukashenka biography

Aliaksandr Malochka, a resident of the town of Salihorsk, has petitioned Ashmiany customs department with a request to open access to the results of an examination of Valery Karbalevich’s book "Aliaksandr Lukashenka. A Political Portrait." seized from him on September 14, 2013.

21.03.2014 Cases of forced voting registered in Mahiliou

Students and residents of dormitories in Mahiliou are being forced to vote early, local observers say.

21.03.2014 Students in Orsha vote under supervision

Polling station No. 6 in the Orsha-based constituency No. 8 was visited by a woman who asked the Election Commission for permission to see the students of a local medical college vote, says observer Yauhen Anishchanka.

21.03.2014 Voters in Vitsebsk taught how to vote

A number of voting booths in Vitsebsk now have sample ballots ticked just in the places where the “right” candidates’ names are printed in the real ballots, says local observer Vadzim Kuzmin.

21.03.2014 Candidate in Mikashevichy isolated from voters

Chairman of the Mikashevichy Town Executive Committee Anatol Davydovich has been blocking the election campaign of an independent candidate for the Town Council Leanid Dubanosau.