The Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG) recorded a number of facts of forcing the inhabitants of the peninsula to participate in the illegal presidential elections in the Russian Federation. For security reasons, CHRG does not indicate the information regarding its sources living in the occupied territory.
“The heads of at least two large enterprises in Kerch, which have more than 100 employees, were obliged to ensure the appearance of their workers for elections (without specifying who to vote for). Heads of these enterprises received verbal orders from the city administration to carry out such control. On Sunday, 18 March, the heads will report to the staff of the city administrations several times a day about how many of their employees voted, “- one source told to the CHRG.
Another source that is working in the third budget enterprise of the city confirmed that the employees of this enterprise were told to call the head of the enterprise after they vote at their polling stations.
At least in four schools in Kerch and in two schools in Simferopol parents were told at the parents’ meetings about the need to go to the polls and “fulfil their civic duty.” This was reported by the parents of the students of these schools.
Parents of the Simferopol school were asked to report on Viber about participating in the elections: indicate their surname, polling place and time of voting.
“The principal of one of the schools in Feodosiia instructed the teachers to warn parents that they should go to vote. A similar “explanatory work” with parents about mandatory participation in the elections on March 18 was instructed to be conducted by teachers in the Kirov district of Crimea, ” – our sources in these cities report.
In Dzhankoi, the teachers of the junior classes of one of the schools under the signature were ordered to appear at polling stations under the threat of dismissal, a source in this school reported. Also from another citizen of Crimea CHRG found out that the management of “Chernomorneftegaz” threatens its employees with dismissal, in case of non-attendance at polling stations.
In one of the Crimean universities the group headmen were ordered to check the turnout on the electoral lists. In the same institute parents were asked by teachers to vote at the parents’ meeting, – a source in this university informed.
“In the Simferopol Vodokanal (“state unitary enterprise “Woda Kryma”) on the occasion of a professional holiday, employees received envelopes with congratulations and an annotation that this day this year coincided with one more holiday, and it is necessary to make the right choice. At the end of the congratulation text the address of the polling station of the employee was indicated, ” – the employee of the enterprise reported.
One of the residents of Kerch reported that today he received SMS to his mobile phone with an appeal to participate in the presidential elections in Russia. The SMS also contained information on the time of operation of the polling stations and the phone number of the Central Electoral Commission.
Earlier, CHRG reported that the Crimean Tatars at one of the city’s budget institutions were forced to vote under threat of dismissal; in schools, children were required to draw posters for the contest “Mom, Dad and I – the whole family participates in elections”.
If you know the facts confirming the coercion of the inhabitants of Crimea to go to the Russian presidential election, please inform the CHRG by e-mail: [email protected]
