Vitsebsk: human rights defender Pavel Levinau not included in election commissions even after two trials

The Vitsebsk Regional Court and the Vitsebsk District Court didn’t grant the complaints of the citizens who had nominated Pavel Levinau to the Vitsebsk Regional Election Commission and the Vitsebsk District Election Commission Respectively.

Mr. Levinau attended both trials. He said that the sitting of the Vitsebsk Regional Court that took place on 1 October lasted for almost 8 hours. There were debates about violations during the formation of the regional election commission. Predictably enough, Judge Masharski didn’t recognize that such violations had been committed. He called the arguments of the authors of the complaint ‘unsubstantiated and unfounded’, and alleged that the formation of the regional commission was impeccable.

According to the human rights defender, the formation of the regional election commission took just 15 minutes. Neither he, nor representatives of the Belarusian Popular Front and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada were included in it.

On 5 October the Kastrychnitski District Court of Vitsebsk considered the complaint of the group of citizens who had nominated Pavel Levinau to the Pershamaiski District Election Commission of Vitsebsk.

The trial was attended by the Chairperson of the organizational and staff department of the Vitsebsk City Executive Committee V.Petsiul, who claimed that Levinau’s candidacy hadn’t been supported as he had frequently applied to courts against violations of the law by officers of the executive committee.

Judge Alena Papova considered that the district election commission had been formed impeccably and dismissed the lawsuit of the electors.

Now both groups of electors intend to apply to procuracies.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections