Trade union activist appeals ban on May Day picket in Baranavičy

Ryhor Hryk, leader of the Baranavičy office of the independent trade union of radio electronic industry, filed today a complaint in the Baranavičy District and City Court to challenge a ban imposed by the city executive committee on a picket scheduled for May 1.

“I fulfilled all the necessary conditions for the event: applied for a rally in the city executive committee, including a personal undertaking to clean up the territory after the rally, and created a group of three people for the protection of public order. Also, I signed the necessary agreement with the city polyclinic to service our May Day rally of solidarity of workers, which was planned in the authorized location,” said Ryhor Hryk.

He says that the ban is not only due to the fact that the participants wanted to express protest against rising prices and low wages of workers, but also to the fact that the protesters were going to demand the abolition of Decree No. 3 “On prevention of social dependency”, which violates the rights of citizens.

It was planned that the picketing would be attended by about 15 people. Over the past decade, local authorities have not allowed a single May Day rally.