Biaroza authoritites ban human rights picket

Biaroza district executive committee prohibited the civil activists Tamara Shchapiotkina and Siarhei Rusetski to hold a picket on 13 December.

The applicants asked to authorize the action near the town shop Technika, at which they intended to hand out informational materials dedicated to the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

They guaranteed securing the public order and said they would bring a first-aid kit. They also guaranteed the cleaning of the territory after holding the picket. They also attached the appropriate written undertaking to their application.

However, Biaroza town executive committee answered that ‘the aforementioned measures haven’t been precisely defined, which arises doubts in the ability of the applicants to secure the public order and provided qualified medical aid’.

The officials believe that in order to hold even a small picket with the minimal number of participants one needs to present the appropriate agreements with the police, medics and communal services. They forget that according to the law the applicants can also give a written undertaking to secure the public order and the health of the action participants.

That’s why human rights defenders consider the reasons for the refusal as wire-drawn and by their refusal the authorities once again violated the civil right to peaceful assemblies.