The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News for 23 Mar 2014

23.03.2014 Freelance photographer not allowed to shoot at polling station in Barysau

Valiantsina Ziankova was going to cover the process of voting at polling station No. 59 in Barysau district.

23.03.2014 Police detain candidate in Khotsimsk

Valery Karankevich, a candidate for the Mahiliou Regional Council running in Khotsimsk constituency No. 54 and at the same time a candidate for the District Council of Khotsimsk, detained by police at about 8 p.m. and taken to the local police department.

23.03.2014 Observer in Homel denied access to information and removed from polling station

At the Homel-based polling station No. 2 of Navabelitskaya constituency, Chairman of the election commission refused to provide information to observer Kanstantsin Zhukouski. The election official, Andrei Charnou, according to the observer, behaved "brutal".

23.03.2014 Viasna presents annual review of human rights violations

The book "Situation of Human Rights in Belarus in 2013" features an analysis of the major events that influenced the human rights situation in the country during the past year, as well as the most obvious and typical violations.

23.03.2014 Unsealed ballot box found at polling station in Brest

On March 22, at polling station No. 19 in Brest observers found an opened ballot box. According to the electoral law, voting results should be found invalid due to such violations, but none of the officials came to the polling station to fix the violation, BelaPAN said.

23.03.2014 BCD observer stripped of accreditation in Minsk

In Minsk, an activist of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, an observer in the campaign "Right to Choice" Valeryia Charnamortsava has been stripped of accreditation at polling station No. 25 in constituency No. 44, the BCD press-service reports.

23.03.2014 Candidate to be tried over Freedom Day flyers

A candidate from the United Civil Party Anton Zhylko will stand trial for distributing leaflets about the celebration of Freedom Day on March 25, an event officially authorized by the Minsk city executive committee, Radio Free Europe’s Belarus services said.

23.03.2014 BCD Executive Secretary in jail pending trial on Monday

Executive secretary of the organizing committee of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy" Dzianis Sadouski has been placed in a detention center in Minsk’s Akrestsin Street. He was charged with disorderly conduct and will be judged on Monday, Radio Free Europe’s Belarus services said.

23.03.2014 Independent journalist questioned at Brest Prosecutor's Office

Independent journalist Yauhen Skrabets was interviewed in the Brest City Prosecutor’s Office, Radio Racyja said. As told by the journalist, prosecutors inquired about his work with the Belarusian Radio Racyja:

23.03.2014 Journalist denied accreditation at polling station in Brest

As reported by Inna Khomich, from the start of early voting she worked as an observer at a polling station located in Brest School No. 2. When the observer was not allowed to photograph a voting protocol (which is a violation of law), she showed the Election Commission members her ID of a correspondent of the Brestski Kurier newspaper and said she would stay at the polling station, including as a journalist.

23.03.2014 March 25 rally in Biaroza banned over inciting national hatred

Biaroza human rights defenders Tamara Shchapiotkina and Siarhei Rusetski, who were going to hold a picket on March 25, Freedom Day, had little time to get ready for the event, which was initially allowed by the local executive committee.

23.03.2014 Observer removed from polling station in Haradok

Activist of the movement "For Freedom" Leanid Haravy was forced to leave the polling station in the town of Haradok, Vitsebsk region. On March 22, he was shown a protocol of the election commissions’ meeting, saying that he was deprived of accreditation for gross violations of the electoral law.

23.03.2014 Baranavichy court refuses to consider candidate’s complaint

On March 21, Judge Zhanna Kapacheuskaya of the Baranavichy District and City considered an urgent complaint by candidate Mikalai Charnavus against unlawful actions by the Chairperson of the Election Commission in constituency No. 21 Larysa Antonava.