Biaroza police refuse to guard Freedom Day rally

Biaroza human rights defenders Siarhei Rusetski and Tamara Shchapiotkina have been unable to enter into a contract with the local police department in order to hold a picket scheduled for March 25. Police representatives referred to the fact that the Executive Committee had not written to them after it received an application for holding the picket, as provided by a Decree of the Council of Ministers of March 5, 2012, in order to discuss the possibility of maintaining public order at the mass event.

Human rights activists complained to the Ministry of Interior and its Regional Department, urging them to oblige Biaroza police to sign an agreement with the applicants and to identify who is to blame in this situation, the Executive Committee or the police. If it is the Executive Committee, then it should be ordered to change its rules of holding mass events.

The human rights defenders also wrote statements to the Prosecutor of Biaroza district and the Biaroza District Executive Committee, asking to assist in signing a contract with the police. But there is no answer yet, says Siarhei Rusetski. Meanwhile, contracts with the hospital and public utilities have been signed.

On March 7, exercising their constitutional right, in accordance with the Law "On Mass Events in the Republic of Belarus", human rights defenders Siarhei Rusetski and Tamara Shchapiotkina applied to the Executive Committee, asking for permission to hold on March 25 from 18:00 to 19:00 at the town stadium a picket to mark the 96th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR), to protest against the military aggression of the Russian Federation on the territory of the independent Ukraine and the deployment of Russian military bases on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, and to demand the release of political prisoners Ales Bialiatski, Mikalai Statkevich, Eduard Lobau and others.