Another Criminal Case against Activist of Public Initiative “Independent Monitoring”

On October 29 Miensk Maskouski borough prosecutor’s office conducted the first interrogation on the criminal case against Siarhiei Mikhnou.

In September 2001, after Siarhiei Mikhnou, observer from the Association of Belarusian Language, submitted a complaint to Miensk Maskouski borough prosecutor’s office about falsification of the results of the voting during the Presidential election at Miensk Maskouski polling station No. 45, the prosecutor’s office brought against him a criminal case instead of checking up the facts, presented in the complaint.

According to the case materials, Siarhiei Mikhnou is suspected of violation of the first part of Article 191 of the Criminal Code (hindrance to activity of electoral commission during election with usage of violence, threats and lies or by other means).

In this complaint Siarhiei Mikhnou wrote the following: “The commission chairman Ryhor Klilmko and the duty policeman didn’t admit observers to the votes’ calculation, violating the third part of Article No. 13 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus. As a result three observers were deprived of the possibility to monitor the process of calculation. However, after my insistent claim, they allowed me to watch one of the commission members calculating the votes. I counted 105 bulletins “For Hancharyk”, 96 – “For Lukashenka” and 9 “For Haidukievich”. When she sorted the bulletins, I asked the chairman and the vice-chairman to inform me about the number of bulletins “For Hancharyk”, “For Lukashenka” and “For Haidukievich” and received a very rude answer. Then the commission chairman ordered the duty policemen to take me out of the building and I had to join the observers who were sitting on a sofa at the entrance of the polling station. In some time we received a copy of the calculation protocol, but the numbers there contradicted to my calculations. I said that it was falsified and demanded from them to count the bulletins again. The commission chairman again answered very rudely. Basing on the mentioned facts, I ask to draw the commission chairman Ryhor Klimko to criminal responsibility in accordance with article No. 49 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus for falsification of the results of the voting”.

Information Department of PA HRC “Viasna”