Elections in Belarus 2015

1st day of voting: journalists prevented from talking to people, students forced to vote

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The person to blame was “a woman from the street” – the Deputy Dean on Educational Work of BrSTU who became an “observer”. Students complained that she forced them to vote early and monitors the attendance of students at the institution.

Independent journalists decided to see the voting process among the students of Brest State Technical University, which had already three polling stations opened on Tuesday.

One of the university workers who was later identified by friends of the commission as an observer of Belaya Rus, was not only monitoring who came to the site, but was also in the way of the media. In particular, she did not allow the students to talk to journalists.

First two freshmen admitted that for voting early they were promised two days off. At this point, they were approached by the “observer” and Deputy Dean on Educational work od BrSTU Svyatlana Kuhan. After talking with her, the students refused to comment, while other voters spoke the well memorized text that they came to vote freely.

Later, at the entrance to the voting site, one student admitted to reporters that he had been forced to vote. Right there again appeared Svyatlana Kuhan and again started to hinder the journalists. She refused to introduce herself, calling herself “a woman from the street” and promised to take the journalists to court for libel. Under the law, journalists have the right to record public officials without their permission.

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