Salihorsk civil society activist petitions Constitutional Court
Uladzimir Shyla, civil activist from Salihorsk
Salihorsk civil society activist Uladzimir Shyla considers it necessary to change the practice of executive agencies and courts of general jurisdiction in their repeated bans on public events. Last year alone, the activist received 37 bans on his applications. To change this situation, he submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court.
The appeal was filed after Salihorsk district executive committee once again violated the activist’s rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, by imposing a ban on a Freedom Day picket in the spring of this year. In search of the truth Uladzimir Shyla has already gone through the courts of first and second instance, but found no support anywhere.
“In principle, even given the current "draconian" law "On Mass Events", the right of peaceful assembly shall be guaranteed to a large extent. It's enough to change the legal practices of the local authorities and the courts. For this reason, I petitioned the Constitutional Court,” says Uladzimir Shyla.
As is known, the citizens of Belarus do not have the power to address the Constitutional Court directly, but nothing prevents the court to express its assessment of the petitions.
“If the Constitutional Court does not consider my appeal or deem constant bans on public events as corresponding to the Constitution, it will appeal to international institutions,” says the Salihorsk activist.
However, in his address, Uladzimir Shyla also wants the Constitutional Court to recommend the courts of general jurisdiction to proceed from the priority of articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression in disputes about bans on holding public events. He also requested the Constitutional Court to declare the violation of his constitutional right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly by the executive power, which has resulted in the unjustified denials of a mass gathering.
