Zhodzina: state-owned press ignores ruling of executive committee

Noone knows the reasons why the state-owned newspapers of Zhodzina publish all ruling of the local authorities in the Saturday editions that are distributed only on subscription. The only place where a non-subscriber can find these newspapers is the Zhodzina library. Moreover, some rulings of the Zhodzina Town Executive Committee concerning the electoral process aren't published at all.

In particular, as of 13 September the Zhodzina state-owned press hasn't published ruling #1475 of 24 September On amendment of ruling of the Zhodzina Town Executive committee #1437 of 22 September.  The ruling concerns the amendment of the list of places where its is prohibited to hold electoral pickets and considerably extends the opportunities for holding such pickets. By the way, the ruling contains the order to 'publish this ruling in the newspaper Zhodzinskiya Naviny by 6 October 2010.

By the way, this document is also absent at the Zhodzina Town Election Commission. As explained by the commission secretary, Tatsiana Krautsevich, the amendments have been introduced recently and have been already published at the website of the executive committee. However, she was unable to offer a satisfactory explanation of the absence of the document at the election commission and the failure of the newspaper to publish it in the due time.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections