Both applicants received the refusals. The administration of Zheleznodorozhny district of Viciebsk banned a two-hour rally for CCP BPF member Jan Derzhavtsev, and the Viciebsk regional executive committee denied Kastus Smolikov, chairman of Viciebsk regional organization of the party BPF, permission to hold a protest rally on March 25 and march.
As the activists say, when applying, they did not hope for a miracle, because they had not previously concluded contracts for the maintenance of events with the city polyclinic, housing and communal services and the regional police department. Since the infamous decision of the Viciebsk city executive committee of July 10, 2009, No. 881, "On mass events in Viciebsk", which requires these treaties, none of the representatives of the opposition forces has been able to obtain permission to hold a mass event even In the places allocated for these purposes by the authorities.
In his refusal to Jan Derzhavtsev, the deputy head of the administration of the Zheleznodorozhny district, Natalya Lepeshkina, was unqualified: there are no agreements stipulated in article 3 of the resolution of the city executive committee No 881, meaning "I forbid holding the declared mass event in the park of culture and recreation of railway workers".
The Oblast Executive Committee did not allow the procession from Victory Square to Lenin Square and a meeting near the Philharmonic Hall for several reasons. Among the standard ones are the absence of contracts with the city services and the reference to the fact that the declared places are not included in the number authorized by the authorities for holding mass events. But there is also a new clue in the answer: the officials saw the applicant's violation of the requirements of Article 9 of the Law "On Mass Events in the Republic of Belarus", since the events were to pass at a distance of 200 meters from underground pedestrian crossings and the building of the TV and radio company "Viciebsk".
As Jan Derzhavtsev noted, not allowing citizens the opportunity to freely express their opinions on the problems existing in the country and the city on March 25, the Viciebsk authorities ignored not only the protest moods of citizens, but also the recent statement of Alexander Lukashenko on allocating areas with sound reinforcement equipment in cities where the people could Express their opinions.
It is worth noting that one of the applicants of the march and rally, the activist of the movement "For Freedom" Leonid Gorovoy, even before the official ban refused the intention to be the organizer of mass actions. In a special statement addressed to the chairman of the regional executive committee Nikolay Sherstnev, Gorovoy proposed "to determine places in the central part of the cities for holding mass events – meetings, rallies, picketing – on the application method without any police bribes until March 25 in Viciebsk and other cities of Viciebsk region, Physicians and public utilities. This will promote peaceful dialogue in society to discuss existing problems and issues, and also contribute to strengthening the independence of Belarus, since only indifferent citizens can be the foundation of a sovereign state."
According to the legislation on citizens' applications, the statement of the activist of the movement "For Freedom" can be considered within 30 days. Therefore it is unlikely that Viteblians will be allowed to gather in the city center by the Day of Will, as proposed by Alexander Lukashenko.
S. Horki
