Minsk authorities ban Conservative Christian Party from holding rally on BNR anniversary

The Minsk city authorities have denied permission to the Conservative Christian Party (CCP) for holding a rally in a Minsk park on March 25 to mark 94 years since the proclamation of the 1918 Belarusian National Republic.

As CCP Deputy Chairperson Yury Belenki told BelaPAN, the opposition party's members wanted the rally to take place in Kiyewski Park, an unusual venue for a demonstration.

The city authorities rejected the party's application for permission, explaining that it had failed to specify what security measures would be taken during the event.

The CCP has never been permitted to stage demonstrations on the BNR anniversary, Mr. Belenki stressed. "We even sued the Minsk City Executive Committee over that matter in the past and, certainly, to no avail. Laws do not work in our country," he said.

CCP activists will not join a sanctioned opposition march and rally on March 25, Mr. Belenki announced. "We treat Dzen Voli (Freedom Day) as a holiday and find it unacceptable to celebrate it in a place where dogs are walked," he noted.