40 Viasna Observers Manage to Leave for Kyiv

23.12.2004.

Despite all obstacles, 40 representatives of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" left for Kyiv yesterday night.
Yesterday during the briefing in Hotel Belarus dedicated to the issues of international observation of Ukrainian election, riot squad police (OMON) arrested about 70 Belarusian observers. Viasna chairperson Ales Bialatski, lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich, and about 40 Viasna members were among the detained.
All the detained were brought to Centralny police board. The police finger-printed all the detained, video-recorded them, carried out personal search and examination of their belongings. All the detained had to write declaratory notes. The police officers explained that all the detained were taken to the police station for identification. Despite objections of the detained, they all were kept in police station longer than the legal 3 hours and released at 9.30 p.m. The police failed to draw up any reports of detention or offence.
We should point out that the train for Kyiv Belarusian observers were supposed to take left at 9.07 p.m. Despite all the obstacles, 40 members of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" managed to leave for Ukraine the same night.
Viasna members participate in the international mission of Ukrainian election observation organized by ENEMO – European network of Election Monitoring Organizations. Human Rights Center "Viasna" is a member of ENEMO since 2001.
Viasna members will observe the election in Poltava, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine.