The Central Election Commission (CEC) has refused to register initiative groups of former presidential candidates Statkevich and Mikhalevich.

“Statkevich was denied registration because he is imprisoned, Mikhalevich – because he does not reside in Belarus since March 2011 and because he is on the international wanted list,” CEC head Lidzia Yarmoshyna said Thursday at a press conference in Minsk, Interfax news agency reports.

According to her, imprisoned persons and non-residents of Belarus “do not have active or passive electoral rights” under Belarusian laws.

Yarmoshyna also said, “Statkevich filed applications to 56 constituency election commissions, but as we learned from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Statkevich did not file documents via the administration of the prison where he serves his term,” “We are not going to figure out how he did it. It is a task for the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” the CEC head said.

In May 2011, the court found Statkevich guilty of organizing a protest rally against the rigged results of the presidential election and sentenced him to 6 years in a medium security penal colony.

Like other 2010 presidential candidates, Mikhalevich was accused of organizing the protest rally. After the release on his own recognizance, Mikhalevich said he had been tortured in the KGB jail and refused to cooperate with the security services. The politician fled to the Czech Republic and got political asylum there.  Belarusian prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for Mikhalevich.