Biaroza human rights activists fighting for right to stage pickets

Biaroza human rights defenders sent a letter to Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee Kanstantsin Sumar with a request to oblige local authorities to change its decision on the procedures for holding street events in the district.

According to one of the petitioners, human rights defender Siarhei Rusetski, the activists urge the officials to amend the decision in accordance with later decrees of the Council of Ministers, so that they could enter into contracts with local police and medical departments, as well as to expand the number of places authorized for public events.

“The stadium selected for staging rallies is only attended by a lot of people during sporting events. In previous years, when there was a “thaw” in the country and pickets were sometimes allowed, it happened that there was no one there apart from the picketers, police officers and members of RNE (pro-Russian neo-Nazi movement) with a poster "Death to the Belarusian Popular Front". By the way, these thugs were not prosecuted for holding an unsanctioned event,” says Siarhei Rusetski.

Over the last few years, Biaroza civil society activists and human rights defenders haven’t been allowed to hold a single public event.