Candidate for Deputy Arrested for 7 Days :: Charter'97 :: News

A candidate for deputy in Pinsk city council Alyaksandr Vasilyeu has been sentenced to 7 days of administrative arrest. He has been charged with petty hooliganism during consultations of the local vertical of power with members of election commissions, Radio Svaboda informs. Participants of election campaign in Brest region state that it is not an isolated case of intimidation of independent candidates by the regime.

The independent candidate Alyaksandr Vasilyeu was detained on January 8. His team in election campaign learnt about reasons of his arrest only on the next day, during a court session.

“He was detained for visiting the meeting of the leadership of the regional executive committee with secretaries of election commissions. It was held by the head of legal department Melnichuk. Among other things, he told: bring empty forms to the executive committee with signatures of members of election commissions. Vasilyeu heard that, he stood up and told that it’s a crime, falsification. And turmoil started. Vasilyeu was knocked down on the floor. Policemen were called in, and then a court farce started,” the candidate for deputy of Pinsk city council Alyaksandr Auseenka said.

In line with the decision of Pinsk city court Alyaksandr Vasilyeu is to serve seven days of administrative arrest for alleged using foul language.

A deputy of the city council in Belazyorsk Yuras Hubarevich, who runs for a new term too, says that other examples of authorities’ pressure on independent candidates are observed in Brest region.
“A search in the apartment where the independent newspaper “Altanka” is published, was held in Byaroza district. The newspaper has been issued fro five years by public atavists and then deputies of the city council. It could be considered intimidation of candidates, of people who help candidates. One cannot expect anything from this vote,” Hubarevich is convinced.