Brest Businessmen Continue Hunger-Strike

On 26 September according to the information from the businessmen, the Supreme Economic Court together with the representatives of Brest Regional Executive Committee will consider whether it is legal to request that cab owners pay a Republican fee. The businesswomen Lubou Laurukovich and Lubou Rezanovich continue the hunger-strike started on 20 September though the first deputy chair of the Supreme Economic Court of Belarus Iauhien Smirnou issued a regulation that suspended the sanctions against the Brest businesswomen required by the taxation agency to a Republican fee for using their cars for commercial purposes. This fee was introduced in accordance with Aliaxandr Lukashenka's decree in April, however it started to be applied retroactively - with respect to the cars brought to Belarus much earlier.
One of the hunger-strikers Lubou Laurukovich who the taxation authorities require to pay an additional sum worth about 30 million rubles believes this court regulation to be insufficient. She spelled out the demands of the hunger-strikers: "We want the decree to be treated as it should be. We want nothing more from the authorities. We do not demand something else".
The results of these considerations will determine whether the businesswomen continue their hunger-strike or the number of the protesters increases.