Bykhau authorities refuse to present information about the sites for holding mass events
Siarhei Antonau
On 3 December Bykhau writer and journalist Siarhei Antonau received a response from the local executive committee to his appeal to the chairman, Dzmitry Kaleyeu, in which he asked to determine a site for holding pickets in Bykhau.
In response, signed by the deputy chairman of the executive committee N. Shunkinait was stated that "your letter of 21/11/2013 wasnot considered due to the fact that its design doesn't meet the requirements of Article 12 of the Law of 18 July 2011 "On the applications of citizens and legal entities". Please also note that the regional organization of the BPF "Adradzhenne", as the head of which you claim to be, is not registered on the territory of the Bykhau district.”
Mr. Antonau says that the officials of the executive committee found a purely formal excuse not to give him a definite answer as to where pickets can be held in Bykhau.
"They refused to consider my request and give a concrete answer on the grounds that I signed it as the chairman of the Bykhau district branch of the Belarusian Popular Front, and it really hasn't been registered with the executive committee”, says Siarhei Antonau. “The application was composed in compliance with the Law "On the applications of citizens and legal entitites", I read it carefully. It is not a secret for the executive committee that the distirct branch of the Party and the Movement of the Belarusian Popular Front “Adradzhenne” really exists, but they are refuse to register it on spurious grounds. In order to get an answer, I filed another inquiry to the head of the executive committee Dzmitry Kaleyeu, but signed it as a private individual. I wonder what the officials will answer this time, maybe they will finally give out the “secret information” about the places where pickets can be held in Bykhaum,” says the activist.
Bear in mind that in the recent months Mr. Antonau has twice applied for permission to hold picket, but the both applications were rejected by the authorities.
