Hrodna: picket banned, police inspector warns people about responsibility

Hrodna human rights defenders were the last in Belarus to be denied a picket on 4 August in support of the imprisoned head of the HRC "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski. Human rights defender Uladzimir Khilmanovich received an appropriate letter from the Brest City Executive Committee on 3 August. Thus, athwart the legal terms (5 days before the event), the applicants learned about the ban of the picket the day before its holding.

The denial, signed by the deputy head of the Hrodna City Executive Committee Z. Kulesha, is dated 1 August 2013. Uladzimir Khilmanovich, Viktar Sazonau and Raman Yurhel responded by filing a new application, for holding the picket on 19 August.

The official reason for the ban on the picket is the failure of the applicants to present service contracts with for the maintenance of public order, health care and cleanup.

In the evening of 2 August the local police inspector paid a visit to Raman Yurhel to warn him about administrative responsibility for carrying out unauthorized activities. It's quite interesting, as the policeman didn't have the decision about the ban of the picket at hand. The policeman proposed Mr. Yurhel to sign that he was warned about the legal responsibility. Instead of it, the latter made a record about the illegality of such a warning.