Slutsk activist complains about disruption of gathering by police
Zinaida Tsimoshak, organizer of the screening of a movie about the Slutsk anti-Bolshevik armed uprising of 1920, was charged with organizing an unsanctioned event. The activist is going to challenge the actions of the police.
According to Zinaida Tsimoshak,the film was producedby the state-owned TV channel ONT.
“There is no sedition in this film. It aired on many television channels, it is freely available on the Internet. We agreed it in advance with the director of the club, he did not mind giving a room to hold the screening,” says she.
According to the activist, the meeting was attended by elderly people, many of them were over 70 years old.
“For them it is an opportunity to learn more about the history of the district. They never go out – to theaters and museums, norto the movies. The Slutsk uprising is little spoken about, the authorities keep silent about this topic – there are no streets, no monument to the heroes killed in theuprising,” says the activist.
When the organizers were setting up the equipment, there appearedpolicemen, who said that the event was unauthorized, and therefore could not be continued. They took explanations from all the participants, and Zinaida Tsimoshak, as the organizer, faced administrative charges.
“I'm going to complain about the actions of the police, since our meeting does not fall under the concept of"assembly"in the law. Moreover, the Constitution stipulates that citizens should protect national cultural heritage. It turns out that we are deprived of this right," says Mrs. Tsimoshak.
The complaint was followed by six more written by elderly participants of the event. They are appealling the actions of the police as unconstitutional.
Following the incident, director of Kazlovichy House of Culture wrote a resignation notice. He justified his decision by the fact that he was tired of coordinating every step with the department of culture and ideology of the executive committee, and the actions of the police, he said, humiliated his honor and dignity.
