Participants of picket for Belarusian language in Hrodna to stand trial

Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Ales Astrouski demanded the authorities to grant a constitutional right to their children to study in Belarusian.

On September 23 the court of Leninski district of Hrodna is to try the administrative case against Uladzimir Khilmanovich, who together with the family of Professor Ales Astrouski staged a picket in front of the building of the city executive committee on September 2.

Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Ales Astrouski called upon the authorities to grant the right to study in Belarusian to their children. Uladzimir Khilmanovich received a summons from the court. According t6o him, such actions had been provoked primarily by local authorities, who fail to respect the laws of the country.

“Why Astrouskis family and me have taken part in this picket? The reason is violation of more important laws: the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the Law on Languages in Belarus, which guarantee for children the education in Belarusian when parents desire that. So the first violator of the law is the education department of Hrodna city executive committee, and we gathered simply to correct this injustice,” Uladzimir Khilmanovich said.

Law-enforcers highly advised Uladzimir Khilmanovich not to attend the court saying that the case could be tried in his absence. However the public activist is set to give the case wide response, and in case he would be brought to administrative responsibility, go to international human rights organizations.