Appeal of the Sevastopol human rights protecting group about the illegal participation of the officials of Sevastopol town and district state administrations in pre-election agitation

On 14 December 2004 a meeting with participation of candidate to presidency Viktor Yanukovich was held in Sevastopol. Leonid Zhunko, the head of the Sevastopol city state administration, Viktor Kiriunikov, Volodymir Vysotskiy, heads of district administrations, Anatoliy Tokarev, the head of the health protection department, Mykhaylo Cherbadzhi, the head of the city department of education and science, and other officials, the majority of which carried the candidate’s symbolics, also took an active part in the meeting.

Lessons were cancelled in the secondary schools situated in the downtown, the pupils of junior school were sent home, and the pupils of senior school were provided with Yanukovich’s symbolics and directed to the meeting.

The Sevastopol human rights protecting group turns the attention of the Central election commission, as well as the above-mentioned officials of the city and district state administrations, to the fact that such actions are deliberate and brutal violations of item 2 part 1 of Article 64 of the Law of Ukraine «On election of the President of Ukraine», which prohibits to the organs of state power, organs of local self-government and their officials to take part in pre-election agitation.

We appeal to the heads of local administrations to stop the pressure on voters and the illegal participation in agitation in favor of candidate Viktor Yanukovich.

We ask the Central election commission to give the assessment of involvement by V. Yanukovich of the organs of state power of Sevastopol in pre-election agitation for his benefit.

Sevastopol human rights protecting group