Vitebsk: International observers defended domestic ones from lieutenant-colonel.

No domestic observers were allowed to observe the procedure of establishment of voting results in district commissions of Vitebsk-Horkauskaya district # 17, Vitebsk-Chyhunachnaya district # 19, Vitebsk-Kastrychnitskaya district # 20, and Vitebsk rural district # 21. 
Observers Pavel Levinau and Alena Barshcheuskaya managed to get into the building of administration of Pershamaiski rayon of Vitebsk, where the district commission of Vitebsk-Chkalauskaya district # 17 moved promptly from building of the secondary school # 45. 
A young person, who is not member of the district commission, received the protocols with the voting results from chairmen of precinct commissions. She refused to provide information about the voting in each precinct. Observers were proposed to leave the building and not to hinder the work of the “commission”. The so called “hindrance” was their mere presence. The “rescue” came unexpectedly. OSCE observers (from the US and Ireland) entered the room. The attacks on the domestic voters until the chairperson of the commission Tatsiana Autukhova arrived. She brought police colonel along who suggested the domestic observers should leave the room. 
International observers stood up for their colleagues. Tatsiana Autukhova had not only to step back but to announce the previous election results in the district.  
Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections