18 protests banned in Salihorsk in 2012

Eighteen mass events have been banned by Salihorsk town authorities since the beginning of the year alone, with six more pickets banned on 2 February, local human rights defender Uladzimir Shyla says.

The official bans issued by local executive authorities referred to Par. 8 Art. 9 of the Mass Events Code, as the protests’ itineraries had reportedly overlapped.

The organizer of the pickets Mr. Uladzimir Shyla says that the bans are groundless, while the reference to Article 9 of the Code has nothing to do with the application for the events. Considering this, the activist has lodged complaints with Salihorsk Inter-District Prosecutor’s Office and Minsk regional executive committee, demanding to prosecute local officials for violating the Belarusian legislation.