Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections

At school No. 38 in Viciebsk, the parents who attended a parental assembly were told to give undertakings they would vote early for Lukashenka. This was reported to the coordinator of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Tatsiana Seviarynets by the mother of a first-grade pupil.

September 8, representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations had a meeting with a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the office of the EU Mission in Minsk.

According to an independent observer Uladzimir Vialichkin, the first organizational sittings of the precinct election commissions, formed within the frames of the current electoral campaign, were held without the public attention.

The former political prisoner told “Nasha Niva” that on September 8 he was summonsed for a “talk” to the Main Police Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee. The reason was that he intended to hold a picket in the center of Minsk (near HUM department store) on September 10 do demand free elections.

The information that the Hrodna Regional Election Commission won't work on September 8, was published at the official website of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee.

Observation of the election of the President of Belarus is carried out by activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" in the framework of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections".

September 5, human rights activist Siarhei Housha filed an appeal to the Central Election Commission regarding the campaigning in support of Aliaksandr Lukashenka before the official registration of candidates for presidency.

Brest Regional Election Commission was the last REC to sum up the results of the collection of signatures in support of the nomination of candidacies for the upcoming presidential elections.

An independent observer, representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Vital Amialkovich, received an reply to his request to familiarize with the documents of the candidates, nominated to the precinct election commissions, only in nine days.

The website of Drahičyn District Executive Committee contains information about the observers, nominated observers to the election commissions of Drahičyn.

September 4, Mazyr was visited by members of Homieĺ Regional Election Commission, headed by its deputy chairperson Tamara Lukyanenka.

Stolin District Executive Committee adopted a special resolution, according to which election propaganda materials shall be produced in accordance with the requirements of the Electoral Code and posted on advertising pillars, the windows of shops and cinemas and on bulletin boards only after consultation with the leaders of these institutions.

Analysis of the composition of precinct election commissions (PECs) in the Saviecki district of Homieĺ reveals a pattern that is unlikely to contribute to a free expression of the voters' will.

This is stated in the response to Aliaksei Paulouski, given by the chair of the commission, Valery Berastau. However, there it is stated that the signatures were collected not in working hours, without any coercion, and by members of the initiative group of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.

September 2, the coordinators of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" had the first meeting with the mission of the OSCE ODIHR, which has started its work in Minsk.