Brest Region Court turns down appeal of trade-union activists
Brest Region Court turned down the appeal of activists
of the Free Trade Union of Belarus against the refusal of the Brest City
Executive Committe to authorize its picket “For Worthy Work”.
According to the court, the decision of the Brest CEC was lawful, as the
applicants didn't pay for the services of the police, medics and public
utilities that would be provided during the action.
Valiantsin Lazarenkau, head of the Brest regional FTUB organization, states
that the appropriate agreements were concluded, but according to the Law “On
Mass Events” the payments for them must be done within 10 days after the
action, whereas the court was guided by the ruling of the Brest CEC, according
to which the money must be paid in advance. According to Lazarenkau, even
officers of state institutions which concluded the service agreements, said
they were absurd. Medics don't understand why it is necessary to send an
ambulance car there, and the administration of the public utilities – what a
sweeper will do at a picket with several participants. “However, if the
authorities hold an official event – they need no agreements, but if something
is done on the initiative of citizens alone – such agreements are necessary.
Social inequality can be clearly seen in such cases,” commented Mr. Lazarenkau.
Now the activists intend to appeal against the picket ban at the procuracy.
