Human rights pickets banned in Homel and Vitsebsk

The Homel City Executive Committee banned human rights defenders Anatol Paplauny and Leanid Sudalenka from holding a picket on 10 December, Human Rights Day, at one of the central squares of the city.

As it follows from the text of the refusal, the applicants failed to implement the ruling of the executive committee, according to which they were to have attached to their application service agreements with the police, medics and public utilities. Another reason is that, according to that ruling, peaceful assemblies are permitted only in one place, at the ground near the Recreation Palace of the Deaf “Vipra”, whereas the human rights defenders wanted to hold the action in the center of Homel.

Paplauny and Sudalenka consider it as a violation of their civil rights and are going to appeal against this ban.

Vitsebsk-based human rights defender Leanid Svetsik received a similar ban from the head of the Chyhunachny District Executive Committee of Vitsebsk, Yury Panfilau. According to the text of the answer, if an event is held without the participation of the state, service agreements with police, medics and public utilities must be attached to the application for its authorization. However, Vitsebsk human rights defenders are of the opinion that if the authorities limit an action to a certain place – it is organized with participation of the state, and therefore doesn’t fall under such a requirement.

By the way, it is already the second picket dedicated to 10 December, banned by Panfilau. The previous application was filed by Alena Famina, an electioneering agent of Dzmitry Uss during the presidential election 2010. Her picket was dated to an anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, too. The activist also wanted to propose people to join the initiative group of Dzmitry Uss for amendment of the electoral legislation.