UCP activist in Babrujsk receives ban on picket 15 minutes before start

Halina Smirnova, an activist of the United Civil Party from Babrujsk, was going to hold a picket today to “inform the public about the inadmissibility of introduction of forced labor provided by Decree No. 3”. The ban was received by the activist just 15 minutes before the start of the declared picket.

“In our application we said that we were ready to pay for maintenance of public order and health care,” says the activist. “Today is the day of the picket, but I still have no answer about it.”

As a result, Ms. Smirnova visited the department of ideology, where she was told that the official reply had been send to her in time.

“Then the clerk offered to read a copy and leave my signature. I wrote the time of receipt on the copy – 15 minutes before the expected start of the picket. The response signed by Deputy Mayor Aliaksandr Markachou said that the picket was not allowed because the application was wrongly filed,” says the activist.

“The application indicated the goal of the mass action – to inform the public of the position of the United Civil Party. Thus, the organizer of the mass event should be the party or a person designated by the political party,” said the paper.