Kozulin`s associate withdraws from race for Minsk City Soviet :: Charter'97 :: News

Oleg Volchek, a prominent human rights defender and Aleksandr Kozulin`s associate, has pulled out from the race for the Minsk City Soviet after finding it impossible to have his election leaflets printed.

As Raisa Mikhailovskaya, a member of Mr. Volchek`s nomination group, told BelaPAN, all plants contacted by the candidate and his team have refused to print his campaign leaflets for fear of coming under pressure from the authorities.

"Over the past 10 days I approached Belarusian printing plants with an offer to print my campaign leaflets. However, none of them agreed to accept the order," Mr. Volchek said in a letter sent to the Tsentralny district election commission. "In my leaflets, I don`t call for overthrowing the government, inciting ethnic and religious discord. In fact, the leaflet carries the transcript of my speech broadcast by the Stolitsa radio station on December 20, 2006. However, the directors of several printing plants openly say that `plainclothesmen` have advised them not to print pro-democracy candidates` materials."

Mr. Volchek said that he considered it impossible to engage in electioneering under such conditions.

Dr. Kozulin called on candidates representing the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada," which he leads, to withdraw from the elections.