Human Rights Situation in Belarus: September 2020
A woman confronting riot police during a protest in Minsk. October 4, 2020. Photo: tut.by Summary: during the month, the authorities actively applied criminal prosecution for political reasons. Seventy-four political prisoners continued to be held in detention, and the number continues to grow. The total number of citizens held in criminal cases during the […]
Press conference on election campaign
The most prevalent cases of electoral misconduct in September in Ukraine related to illegal campaigning, according to Civil Network OPORA, who shared their findings at a press conference on October 2nd in Kyiv. However, OPORA considers the most alarming cases, with the gravest consequences for the democratic election process, to include material incentives for voters […]
Third interim report: Polling stations abroad set up according to civil society recommendation
The process of setting up polling stations (PS) abroad (outside of diplomatic mission premises) was An executive summary of the report can be found here More reports on the election in Moldova can be found here
3. Interim observation mission report
The process of setting up polling stations (PS) abroad (outside of diplomatic mission premises) was contested and conducted without any public consultations, but now, for the first time, this was based on a clear mechanism for establishing the PS’ number and location. The formula used to determine PS abroad is based on a recommendation by […]
Die belarussische Diaspora in Europa
Monitoring of Political Ads on Facebook over first half September
What party or candidate spent the most, who shares ads with mistakes, and what Ukrainian party paid for Facebook ads in RUB. In the beginning of autumn, most politicians and political forces planning to run for local elections have become more active in social media. OPORA has explored activity levels of political parties on Facebook in June […]
Convicted protesters in Maladziečna are political prisoners
Photo: Viasna Minsk – September 30, 2020 On September 29, the Maladziečna District Court Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners, adopted at the 3rd Belarusian Human Rights Forum, we, representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations, consider Uladzislau Yeustsihneyeu and Pavel Piaskou political prisoners and urge the authorities to: immediately release them from custody; review measures […]
Viasna receives Alternative Nobel Prize
Image: rightlivelihoodaward.org The Swedish Right Livelihood Foundation named today the winners of its annual award, popularly called the Alternative Nobel Prize. This year’s laureates include the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and its chairman Ales Bialiatski. Other laureates are the imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham […]
Call for donations – Help Defend Human Rights and Free Elections in Belarus
You can donate on the HelpMundo donation platform here: https://www.helpmundo.de/helptools/kampagne/102_help-defend-human-rights-and-free-elections-in-belarus Assist those that have faced repression and have been detained, and those that risk their lives to monitor the situation in Belarus and call attention to the massive scale of electoral fraud and human rights violations in the country. We are collecting donations for: – Legal […]
CSO statement of concern over draft law that may remove oversight provisions over campaign finance
Image source: Civil Network Opora JOINT STATEMENT on the change of provisions of election legislation on the functioning of election funds and exercise of state control over them in local elections September 28th, 2020 The signatories of this statement express their concern about the possible changes in the provisions of the election legislation regarding […]