Another picket banned in Vitsebsk

The administration of Vitsebsk Kastrychnitski district has nammed a picket applied for by local pro-democratic activists who were expected to demand the release of imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski on 4 August, a year after the prominent human rights defender was arrested.

The ban signed by the administration’s vice-head Viktar Halanau says that the applicants failed to sign the required contracts with local police and medical sevrices. Meanwhile, the services refuse to sign the contracts with no permission from the execuitve authorities. Thus, Vitsebsk officials have not authorized a single picket since the restricitve decision was adopted in 2009.

The activists are going to appeal the ban in court.