Baranavichy authorities ban picket in support of political prisoners

Baranavichy city executive committee has not authorized a picket of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski and other Belarusian political prisoners.

The picket applied for by local civil activists Siarhei Housha, Viktar Syrytsa and Viktar Meziak has been banned with reference to Art. 6 of the Mass Events Code and Par. 6 of the committee’s decision on mass events restrictions. However, the officials once again failed to specify which particular provision of the Code was violated by the activists.

“We wanted to protest against the imprisonment of Ales Bialiatski and other political prisoners. The picket was expected to be held in the city’s old park on 4 August. In our application, we did everything as the law requires us to do. However, the event, just like all the previous pickets, has been banned,” says human rights defender Siarhei Housha.

This was a ninth ban on holding pickets in the city since the beginning of the year.