Slonim officials ban rally in support of political prisoners

Activists of the Belarusian Christian Democracy’s organizing committee in Slonim filed on July 14 an application for an information picket in support of Belarusian political prisoners. Recently, local activist Ivan Bedka received a reply signed by the chairman of the Slonim district executive committee Aleh Tarhonski saying that “holding the mass event (picket) scheduled for August 23 in the city park in Opernaja Street is forbidden, as the documents submitted by you to the Executive Committee do not comply with Article 5 of the Law "On Mass Events in Belarus" of December 30, 1997.” As usual, the officials did not consider it necessary to specify which things were not consistent with the law.

For about 15 years already, the Slonim district executive committee has not allowed a single opposition protest.