Another picket banned in Vitsebsk

Yan Dziarzhautsau, member of the Conservative Christian Party BPF, has been unable to sign a contract with the city’s medical service to hold a mass rally for the third time in a row. The picket on the anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy was banned by the local authorities exactly on the basis that there was no agreement with the health care department and police administration.

Moreover, the reason for the refusal referred to by the district police department is difficult to understand, says Yan Dziarzhautsau, “I was told that they could sign no agreements, because the district department did not have a schedule of municipal events for the last ten days of April. They said the police authorities could decide how many employees to send only on the basis of the size of a specific event. And what does my personal initiative have to do with it? It’s obvious that the executive committee did not include it in its plans. And if some plans were not sent to the police, let them complain of the executive committee. Everything is clear with the picket I was going to stage: the application specifies both the number of participants and the venue. Ihar Skarynovich, who signed the letter, just fools my head, saying that I can apply to the police department later – maybe by then they will know the schedule of events... They would do anything not to enter into a contract without which, as the police know, the event will not be permitted.”

Mr. Dziarzhautsau says the police used to refuse signing contracts with him earlier. However, for various reasons, although sometimes most fantastic ones. Meanwhile, the city hospital could not invent any options: they have the only one on all occasions, says the activist, “I once again received a ban saying that the doctors were very busy due to the exacerbation of seasonal diseases. They have such exacerbations on a monthly basis: in February the seasonal disease worsened when I was applying for an event to mark the anniversary of the Kastus Kalinouski’s Uprising. In March, the exacerbations were waiting for Freedom Day. Now it seems warmer, but the reason is the same: more diseases on the eve of April 26!”

The only government agency that does not refuse to cooperate with Vitsebsk pro-democratic activists are municipal public utilities. However, one contract is not enough: decree No. 881 by Vitsebsk authorities requires three of them. However, the doctors and the police are “unshakable” in their attempt to avoid agreements with the activists. And so this year all the three events for the anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were banned in Vitsebsk. Besides Yan Dziarzhautsau, applications for memorial meetings were filed by head of the regional office of the Movement “For Freedom” Khrystafor Zhaliapau and head of the BPF’s regional branch Leanid Autukhou.