The progress of the 2004 Presidential election is characterized by stiff, even savage confrontation between candidates nominated by different political camps, as well as by ultimately law moral standards of conduct manifested by the acting executive power…

The analysis of the law drafts concerning the political reform

The access of candidates to presidency to mass media and the context of presentation of information on election in different mass media are the subjects of the research carried out by the Institute of mass information, international human rights protecting organization “Article 19” and the Kharkov group for human rights protection. In what follows we present the results of the monitoring.

The group of Kharkov journalists was openly threatened in presence of militiamen.

The Appeal court of the Rivne oblast acknowledged as illegal the actions of the official, who agitated for Viktor Yanukovich.

In the morning of 30 October 2004 dwellers of Chernigiv started to turn to the Chernigiv public committee of human rights protection with the information that they or their acquaintances were coercively held in children’s camps near the village of Piatikhatki not far from Kyiv.

On 18 October 2004, on the day of visit of candidate to presidency Viktor Yanukovich to Chernigiv, activists of the public action “PORA!” turned to the Chernigiv public committee of human rights protection with the information that their colleagues were massively detained and transported in unknown direction.

An excerpt from the report on the observance of human rights, connected with the election process, in the Chernigiv oblast in September and October 2004.

He refused to fulfill the political order to agitate for candidate to President’s post Viktor Yanukovich.

It was proposed to the workers of local post office to write the appeal about their intention to vote for Yanukovich in exchange for 150 hryvnas. This and other facts of violations in Gadiach.

Students are forced to take part in the meetings in the support of Yanukovich and prohibited to visit the meetings of Yushchenko.

An official of the Kremenets district administration demanded from owner of a private shop to remove from the shop the agitation placard in favor of Yushchenko. This story had a continuation in the form of unscheduled check of the shop by tax inspection.

On 21 October officers of the Stanichno-Luganskiy district militia precinct detained the group of agitators for Viktor Yushchenko and seized agitation materials from them.

On massive violations of electoral law and the OSCE and CoE standards for elections

If the authorities feel no shame, if they refuse to apologize to the youth, for which they have failed to create conditions for decent life, then these authorities are bankrupt and evil. “You are young and you are to create a design of our future”.

On persecution of the opposition youth in Ukraine. “The crimes committed by the authorities against an individual or laws inadvertently turn into crimes against humanness and humanity.”

The Presidential election campaign, which is under way in Ukraine, is mired with grave violations of the fundamental human rights and basic freedoms…