News on the topic: freedom of peaceful assembly
13.06.2011 Brest: social-democrats aren’t allowed to hold a picket against poverty
The Brest City Executive Committee sent the Chair of the Brest organization of the Free Trade Union of Belarus, Deputy Chair of the Brest region organization of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada Valiantsin Lazarenka a denial to authorize the picket against poverty he wanted to hold on 17 June.
13.06.2011 Salihorsk residents come to the square despite persecution
The social network Vkontakte again gathered Salihorsk residents on the central square on 12 June. All in all, 50 people took part in the Revolution through social networks rally, organized by a user of v.kontakte.ru.
13.06.2011 Spontaneous protest of drivers at Bruzgi border crossing point
The spontaneous rally of protest against a new customs fee took place on 12 June evening at the border crossing point Bruzgi in the Hrodna region. The action was dispersed by the riot police with the use of tear gas and police gear. 15 protesters were detained.
10.06.2011 Homel: opposition activists apply for authorization rally against poverty
Representatives of the Homel coalition Our Alternative applied for authorization of a rally against poverty on 3 July. Earlier they also applied for a picket in cooperation with the Young Front and the civil campaign Speak Truth.
09.06.2011 “Revolutions through social networks” held in Homel, Salihorsk, Mazyr and Babruisk
In Homel the protest action took place at the central square of the city at 7 p.m. on 8 June. More than 100 people answered the appeal of the Revolution through social network community in the social network Vkontakte by coming to the action. The majority of the action participants were youngsters, but there were also some elderly people. Following the conditions of the action the people brought no symbols and chanted no slogans. They just stood peacefully, talking to one another. The police didn't come to the action.
08.06.2011 Minsk: trial of detained participants of Stop Petrol! action
Participants of the drivers’ protest action are standing trial at the Tsentralny District Court of Minsk. One of the detained, Pavel Hruzdzilovich, informed about it by SMS. He didn’t specify how many detained will be there, informs Radio Liberty.
07.06.2011 Salihorsk authorities ban protest rallies
The Salihorsk Town Executive Committee didn't authorize the actions of protest against the economic crisis that were scheduled for 11-12 June. The TEC Chair Aliaksandr Rymasheuski explained it with “the absence of clarity concerning the form of holding the mass events”.
06.06.2011 Mahiliou authorities ban picket against increase of prices
The Mahiliou City Executive Committee didn’t authorize a meeting against the increase of prices, inflation and decrease of the life standards of workers. The official reason for the ban is the failure of teh action organizers to conclude agreements with such state services as poilce, medics and public utilities.
18.05.2011 Police disrupts action against homophobia in Minsk
Activists of LGBT movement planned to conduct this action together with "Young Assembly" activists in Minsk.
12.05.2011 Navapolatsk: three civil activists detained, one of them – fined for “using obscene language”
At 7 p.m. on 11 May the police detained three Navapolatsk activists, Illia Bahdanau, Viktar Kalesnik and Yauhen Parchynski, and guarded them to the Navapolatsk Town Police Department.
12.05.2011 Courts give runaround to appeal against picket ban
Mikalai Ulasevich, a civil activist from the village of Varniany (situated in the Astravets district of the Hrodna region), received a negative reply to his appeal against the ban of the anti-nuclear picket Chernobyl-Fukushima-Astravets: do we need it? The letter is singed by Aliaksandr Hrynkevich, Chair of the Hrodna Region Court. According to the document, the appeal was forwarded to the Astravets District Court.
05.05.2011 Organizer of Stop Petrol-2 action fined
The Stop Petrol-2 action took place on 28 April at three Minsk motorway filling stations of the Belnaftakhim concern and at other motorway filling stations in more than ten towns and cities of Belarus.
05.05.2011 Hlybokaye: democratic activist Yaraslau Bernikovich got fined
On 5 May the democratic activist Yaraslau Bernikovich was tried for “violation of the rules of holding and organizing mass actions” (Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The violation was that a tent was installed at the picket. The trial was lead by the Chair of the Hlybokaye District Court, Stanislau Trapuk. He fined the activist 700,000 rubles. Mr. Bernikovich admitted his guilt, but explained that he put the tent there because of bad weather.
04.05.2011 Street actions of (motor)cyclists are banned in Vitsebsk
During the recent years dwellers of Vitsebsk could watch the opening of the driving seasons by the local motorcyclists. The appropriate “motorbike parade” was usually held by them on the city outskirts in the beginning of May. People used to come to the parade with their children to look at hundreds of different motorcycles and their owners, who were dressed in exotic costumes. However, this year the action was banned by the police.
28.04.2011 Barysau authorities ban May Day picket
On 27 April, Barysau trade union activist Mikalai Pakhabau received a reply from local authorities denying permission for holding a picket on International Labour Solidarity Day – May 1.
