Baranavichy: Another Picket Banned

07.12.2007. Tags: actions, pickets, human rights defenders.

‘… Baranavichy city executive committee has to refuse in authorizing the picket, because the application does not correspond to the norms of articles of 4 and 5 of the law On mass actions in the Republic of Belarus. The measures for ensuring the public order and the measures connected with the medical serving and cleaning the territory after the mass action are not mentioned in the application…’. This standard come-off was signed by the deputy chair of Baranavichy city executive committee D.Kastsiukevich.

Meanwhile, in their application for authorization of the picket the applicants Siarhei Housha, Viktar Meziak, Karney Piatrovich and Viktar Syrytsa inform the authorities that ‘we take the duties on the organization and holding of the picket and providing the public order during the action. … Within 10 days after the action we guarantee the payment of all the expenses that are provided by article 10 of the law On mass actions in the Republic of Belarus.’

Having compared the quotations, one can easily conclude that Baranavichy authorities seem not to understand (or even not caring to understand?) the applicants. They give arbitrary explanations to the laws and use formal reasons for banning a picket dedicated to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a signer of which Belarus is.