Homel authorities ban procession on Human Rights Day

Homel human rights defenders Anatol Paplauny and Leanid Sudalenka and the civil society activist Halina Bialova have received an answer from Homel City Executive Committee regarding their application for holding a procession on Human Rights Day, December 10.

One of the state aims of the event was to draw public attention to the ongoing holding of political prisoners by Belarus. The formal reasons for the ban were the failure of the applicants to enter into service agreements with the ambulance and public utilities, as well as the location of administrative buildings not far from the stated route of the procession.

Let us remind that according to the regulation of Homel City Executive Committee “On Mass Events”, applicants for pickets, rallies and processions need to pay for services of the ambulance and public utilities. The authorities determined just two sites for holding such events, both of which are located in distant suburbs. Meanwhile, the ambulance refuse to serve such events citing the lack of free cars or the absence of an agreement of the city executive committee (which, in its turn, can authorize an event only if its organizers present a service contract with the ambulance). Therefore, the local authorities haven't authorized any events organized by the local democratic community during the last ten years. Appealing such bans at court yields no results.

Meanwhile, a similar event has been authorized in Brest. The two-hour picket marking the 66th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, will be held at 1-3 p.m. on December 10 at the park of soldiers-internationalists in Brest.