Baranavichy authorities ban Human Rights Day picket
Viktary Syrytsa and Siarhei Housha
On 5 December the civil activist Viktar
Syrytsa and the human rights defender Siarhei Housha received a
letter from the Baranavichy City Executive Committee, signed by the
deputy head Dz. Kastsiukevich.
As it is stated in the letter,
the executive committee refuses to authorize the picket they intended
to hold on 10 December 2012. The authorities state that the
applicants violated Article 5 of the Law off the Republic of Belarus
of 30 December 1997 “On Mass Events” in the edition of 08
November 2011, #308-3, and point 4 of the ruling of the Baranavichy
CEC #1497 of 16 June 2009 “About the order of holding mass events
in the city of Baranavichy”. The city authorities do not explain
what was violated and propose them to appeal the decision to the
Baranavichy City and District Court in case of disagreement.
“First
of all, we wanted to remind our citizens that Belarus has signed the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and undertook to strictly abide
by the international standards of human rights. Secondly, we need to
tell about violations of human rights in Belarus and about the fact
that the implementation of our constitutional rights depends on the
will of state officials nowadays,” pointed Viktar Syrysa.
