Belarusian Helsinki Committee Demands to Recognize Election Invalid

03.04.2006.

On March 31 Belarusian Helsinki Committee filed an appeal to the Supreme Court asking to recognize the presidential election invalid.

The human rights defenders provide a list of 8 basic violations which they had registered monitoring the election all over the country. They registered violations of both the election process in general and voting in particular.

Among other things, during the pre-election period:
• The authorities created the climate of fear and distrust to oppositional candidates
• It was illegal to register a candidate for the post of the President for the third term
• Representatives of the authorities dominated in the election commission
• There was no freedom of speech
• Independent mass media were persecuted
• Members of candidates’ teams and independent observers were repressed
• The state machinery worked for one candidate instead of keeping the neutrality.
Besides that, the election itself as well as the vote counting were not transparent.

The activists of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee believe it is necessary to hold a new presidential election in Belarus.