Baranavichy activist files supervisory appeal against picket ban

April 3, human rights activist from Baranavichy Siarhei Housha filed a supervisory complaint to the chairman of the Brest Regional Court in the case of banning picketing on the occasion of the Human Rights Day.

On January 27, Baranavichy City and District Court and on March 19 – the panel of judges on civil cases of the Brest Regional Court declared these actions of the Baranavichy City Executive Committee legitimate.

The human rights activist, in his turn, states that the city and regional courts for some reason "did not notice" that the Baranavichy city executive committee had violated the law on mass events by failing to specify the reasons for the picket ban. The state body also violated the terms for answering the appeal. Siarhei Housha pointed out that the courts also failed to take into account his explanation of the illegality of the requirements by the Executive Committee regarding the conclusion of agreements with the police for maintaining public order during mass events, which was were contrary to the ruling of the Council of Ministers of March 5, 2012 № 207. In the reasoning part, noted the human rights activist, the courts didn't even mention his evidence that the city police official had refused for many years to enter into agreements with applicants until being presented the permission of the executive committee for holding mass event in question.

According to Siarhei Housha, the explanations of the representatives of the Baranavichy City Executive Committee to the court, that in his application he failed to mentioned the measures connected to the medical serving of the picket participants and cleaning the territory after the end of the event, were absurd:

“In our application it was stated that the copies of the contracts with the clinic and the public utilities were attached. The copies were attached to it. Our application to the executive committee also contained the undertakings of the organizers of mass event to secure the public order. However, the judges “didn't notice” these arguments,” argues Mr. Housha.

The human rights activist asks the chairman of the regional court to cancel the verdict of the Baranavichy City and District Court, as well as the resolution of the Judicial Board on Civil Cases of the Brest Regional Court and the decision of the Baranavichy executive committee to ban the picket.