Human rights activist asks to be explained the new regulation on mass events
The area of the old park facing Mitskevich Street, defined as the new place for public events in Baranavichy
Siarhei Housha, a human rights activist from Baranavichy, appealed to Baranavichy City Executive Committee, asking to explain certain aspects of the new regulation “On mass events in in the city of Baranavichy” from December 29, 2014.
The adoption of this document voids the previous regulations of the executive committee which indicated the order of payment for the protection of public order, the costs associated with medical care and cleaning of the territory after holding mass events.
The new document doesn't describe the order of such payments at all, though it must be described in accordance with Art. 6 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus of 30.12.1997, "On Mass Events in the Republic of Belarus".
The human rights activist reminds that earlier he, together with other citizens repeatedly asked to abolish the obligation to enter into service agreements with the police during preparation to mass events because according to the regulation of the Council of Ministers No. 207 for March 5, 2012 the executive committee needs to inform the police about the upcoming mass event. However, it all brought no results.
The human rights activist also notes that the Baranavichy City Executive Committee was pointed at the need to amend the old regulation on mass event and eliminate the obligation of concluding service contracts with the police by the Brest Regional Council, to which he had filed an appeal. However, the Baranavichy CEC didn't implement this order. On the contrary, by its new regulation it further complicated and obscured the order of preparing of mass events in Baranavichy.
In this regard, Siarhei Housha asks the Baranavichy CEC why it keep t the general practice of law in the Republic of Belarus, as, for example, Brest and Homel City Executive Committee have abolished the need to conclude agreements with the police in the preparation and holding of mass events. The activist is sure that the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and laws should act the same way in Brest, Homel and all other cities. Therefore, he asks whether the Baranavichy CEC
will still demand that organizers of mass event enter into service agreements with the Baranavichy District Police Department or this duty will be delegated to them in line with regulation No. 207 of the Council of Ministers.
At the end Siarhei Housha asks the executive committee to explain why each time the city authorities choose a site for mass events which is worse than the previous one, which are unfrequented by people and are not suitable for such events. The human rights activist also wants to know why the authorities have chosen as a site for mass vents an abandoned wild forest that has not seen any events for a long time already.
In order to avoid problems with the police in the future Mr. Housha asks the executive committee to designtate the site for mass events in the old city park, publish its scheme for public information and determine its seize.
The site for mass events in Baranavichy – old park from Mitskevich Street.
