Mahiliou: authorities looking for signature sheets in support of People's Assembly

On 1 November Uladzimir Shantsau, an organizer of the People's Assembly in Mahiliou, was summonsed to the main justice department of the Mahiliou Region Executive Committee. Kantstantsin Krupenkin, Deputy Chairman of the justice department, demanded that Shantsau presented the lists of signers for the People's Assembly in Mahiliou.

However, the letter refused to do it, as it wasn't provided by the law and such information could be used to pressurize the signers.

Bear in mind that earlier Mr. Shantsau had appealed against the official warnings, issued to him by the Mahiliou City Executive Committee and the Leninski District Procuracy of Mahiliou in connection with the organization of the assembly.

Yesterday Uladzimir Shantsau was summonsed to the police, where the charges that had been issued to him for the organization of the event were changed. At first Mr. Shantsau had been charged with violating the Law “On National and Local Assemblies”. However, it means that the warnings that had been issued to him were unlawful. “That's why the authorities unlawfully interfered with the police activities and made them groundlessly change the charges,” commented human rights defender Barys Bukhel.