Svietlahorsk: court dismisses complaint against non-inclusion of oppositionist in district election commission

The case was considered by the Deputy Chairperson of the Svietlahorsk District Court Halina Svidunovich. Predictably enough, the complaint was dismissed and the ruling of the Svetlahorsk District Executive Committee and the Presidium of the Svetlahorsk District Council about the formation of the Svetlahorsk District Election Commission was found lawful. Thus, the local entrepreneur, representative of the Belarusian Leftist Party Fair World Henadz Zhuleha wasn’t included in the commission.

The representatives of the Fair World Valery Rybchanka and Sviatlana Mikhalchanka took the floor during the hearing. The Presidium of the district council was represented by Aliaksandr Hudymenka, the Chairperson of the settlement of Sasnovy Bor, and the Svietlahorsk District Executive Committee – by the head of its department of the organizational and personnel work Uladzimir Kukar.

At the beginning of the trial it was discovered that A.Hudymenka had left his passport in the car. It is rather strange how he managed to get to the court hall, because the court guards cannot let anyone in without checking the passport. The official brought his document to the court hall only during a break.

Meanwhile, both Hudymenka and Kukar had little awareness of the court rules. The former tried to leave the court hall after the announcement of a break, without waiting for the request to stand up that is pronounced by the secretary, and received an admonition for it. The latter addressed to the judge as ‘comrade judge’.

The plaintiffs intend to appeal the court verdict at the Homel Regional Court.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections