The election campaign has just started in Belarus but opponents of the government have already been forced to go to court for justice.
Although the documents with the application arrived on time, nominations from the Movement For Freedom were not considered in the formation of the election commissions in Brest region.
On Saturday 22, Movement For Freedom sent by registered mail to the Brest Regional Executive Committee the proposal to include two of its activists – Syarhei Vakulenka and Vital Chmel – in the Election Commission for the elections of the House of Representatives. But the letter … “got lost in the general department of the Regional Executive Committee.” At least this is what the activists were told.
As a result, the working group that was engaged in the selection of candidates for the Election Commission received the list only on 27 June.
The same day, at a joint meeting of the Brest Regional Executive Committee and the Presidium of the Regional Council for the Formation of Election Commissions, candidatures of Vakulenko and Chmel were not presented and discussed.
On Saturday 29, Movement For Freedom went to court and demanded that the results of the commission formation was cancelled. Members of the Movement believe that this kind of selection to committee “restricts the civil rights” of the organization members. But already on 2 July, the Brest Regional Court issued a negative decision. At the same time it entered into effect immediately and could not be appealed and challenged in Belarusian courts.
Now the activists of the Movement For Freedom plan to appeal to international courts.
During the previous presidential campaign, activist of the same organization, Dzyanis Turchanyak, was not included in the Election Commission. He also appealed to the court and got rejected. Now the situation has repeated, only with other members of the Movement For Freedom.
“I think that the working groups that elected candidates for the commission were formed of the current government supporters. There was no single opposition candidate in them. It is also unknown how to get there. As a result, our activists were not in the commissions. Court also denied us that opportunity. Based on what we saw, we can assume that elections will not be open and fair,” Dzyanis Turchanyak said to Belsat.eu.
