Brest: court turns down complaint of BSDP ‘Hramada’ against picket ban in Brest

On 25 February Leninski district court of Brest turned down the appeal of Brest city organization of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada against the ban of the picket against the deterioration of the life standards of the region’s dwellers.

Brest city organizations of BSDP Hramada and the Party of Communists Belarusian (PCB) intended to hold the picket at the Locomotive stadium (the place determined by Brest city executive committee for such actions) on 24 January. The official reason for the denial was that this day some equipment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations would be demonstrated at the stadium.

‘Before the beginning of the trial we stated our impeachment to the judge, who considered a similar complaint of the Party of Communists Belarusian on the eve of our trial. The court confirmed that the picket was prohibited for legal grounds and the impeachment was declined,'  said to the BelaPAN  the head of the Brest oblast organization of BSDP Hramada Ihar Maslouski. ‘The court did not grant our petition for videoing the trial either, which we cannot understand, as the court had no intention to voice any confidential information at the trial,’ Maslouski adds.

The plaintiffs presented to the court the photo and video materials confirming that the territory of the stadium was vacant during the time specified in their application for action. The court also ignored the statement of social-democrats that the deputy head of Brest city executive had not used his right to change the date and place of the action with prior consent of the picket organizers, in conformity with Article 6 of the Law On mass actions.