“Citizens of Belarus are deprived of the right to have rights”
This is the conclusion drawn by Mazyr human rights
defender Uladzimir Malei from a series of trials concerning the prohibition of
pickets in support of the head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales
Bialiatski and other political prisoners.
In August-October 2011 he filed for applications for the authorization of
pickets which he intended to hold in the place which had been officially
determined for such actions by Ruling #506 of the Mazyr District Executive
Committee of 22 April 2008 (and then also by the newer Ruling #1202 of 15
September 2011, supplied with the list of state agencies to conclude service
agreements with).
At present Tseliapun's latest appeal is being considered by the Supreme Court
of the Republic
of Belarus.
All regional branches of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” applied for the
authorization of actions in support of Ales Bialiatski dated to the anniversary
of his detention, 4 August 2011. On 11 July such an application was filed in
Mazyr as well, but the action was banned by the authorities. The applicant
intended to hold a procession along Savetskaya
Street from “Pryroda” shop up to Lenin Square, then
to the sculpture complex “Kupalinka”, a performing stage and the ground near it
not far from the river
of Prypiats – the
riverbank up to the brindge.
On 4 July Mr. Malei also tried to conclude service agreements with the police,
polyclinics and communal utilities, as required by the new ruling. However, the
heads of these agencies passed his applications to their deputies so that the
latter ones would give him answers within the term provided by the Law “On applications
of citizens” (one month).
However, is it easy for a human rights defender to get into the officials'
offices?
“This process deserves a separate description”, says Uladzimir. “The time for
audiences is 2 -8 p.m. at all of these agencies. For instance, I had to come to
the deputy head of the Mazyr district housing communal economy Turavets many
times: he was absent from his office at 3 p.m., at 6.30 and 7.45.
Several days after it Uladzimir Tseliapun was invited to the juridical
department of the housing economy by a telephone call, and an agreement for
cleaning the territory after the mass event was signed.
What concerns the meeting with the chief doctor and the lawyer of the city
polyclinic, the human rights defender got an impression that he was totally
unaware of provisions of the Law “On applications of citizens” and Ruling of
the Mazyr District Executive Committee #1202 of 15 September 2011.
“They don't apply to the district executive committee for the authorization of
their events and don't attach service agreements to their applications,” said
Mr. Tseliapun. “They, activists of the “Belaya Rus”, also don't consider it as
necessary to implement requirements of the Law “On applications of citizens”.
The answer was to have been given on the merits of the stated requirements and
in the language of the application whereas the Mazyr branch of the “Belaya Rus”
ignores the Belarusian language, the first state language of Belarus.
Lieutenant-colonel Siarhei Kadoba from the Mazyr District Police Department
also answered Tseliapun's application with violations of the Law “On applications
of citizens”.
“I have already passed all national court instances and am preparing an appeal
to the UN Human Rights Committee”, says Uladzimir Tseliapun. “The second
attempt to protect my right to a public expression of opinion, public
solidarity with the people repressed on political grounds is just beginning.
Maybe, I won't receive a denial...”
Summing up the results of all this story, the human rights defender focuses the
attention on the fact that the present political regime in Belarus deprives all
citizens of Belarus of the right to have rights, any right as such.”