Uladzimer Labkovich: repressions will only tighten ahead of “elections”

• 30.06.2008, 13:16

Commenting on detentions of activists, human rights defender Uladzimer Labkovich said the authorities were creating traditional for previous “elections” atmosphere.

What concerns Mikhal Pashkevich’s detention, who was going to apply for a United Civil Party observer in the Central Election Commission, the human rights activist is sure “it means that the authorities boggle when say they would hold independent democratic “elections” and by these dentations show their real attitude towards the persons, who are going to run in the elections,” Radio Svaboda quotes Labkovich.

In Labkovich’s view, the authorities create an atmosphere of intimidation as before and won’t carry out the “elections”, which would meet international standards of free elections in some way.

“The ”elections” will be democratic and transparent, we are said on TV, but at the same time activists of election campaigns and headquarters are imprisoned. Now they have got down to youth activists and human rights defenders. Detentions of Eduard Balanchuk, Belarusian Helsinki Committee activist, who was detained before the BHC session for discussing issue on the “electoral” process monitoring, should be viewed in this course. It demonstrates that the authorities speak about democratic character of the “electoral” process, but will carry out election campaign using traditional for other political campaigns repressions. Nothing declares so far the authorities are really going to fulfil minimal conditions, which will allow to consider the “elections” meet electoral standards,” Uladzimer Labkovich stated.