Zhodzina Rally Prohibited

On September 6 democratic activists Aliaksei and Sviatlana Lapitski filed an application to Zhodzina municipality asking for permission to hold a rally in the town. The application met all the legal requirements and asked for permission to hold the rally at a venue, especially designated for such purposes.
The Lapitskis did not receive a response from the authorities in time. They called to Zhodzina executive committee only to learn that the reply had allegedly been sent on September 15 by mail. In the end, they received the reply by fax.
In fact, Zhodzina executive committee banned the mass event on formal and absolutely far-fetched grounds. This is an obvious violation of the rights and constitutional freedoms of citizens and violation of the law “about mass actions in the Republic of Belarus”. The Lapitskis appealed to Zhodzina city court asking to change the decision of the executive committee and oblige the officials to follow the law and solve all technical issues with the organizers to enable the town residents to hold the event.