Supreme Court dismisses appeal by disabled rights activist

Yury Liashenka, a disabled civil society activist from Svietlahorsk, has received from the Supreme Court a response to his complaint asking the court to cancel the decision of the Svietlahorsk District Court to punish him for illegal picketing. The applicant referred to the Constitution and international standards. On 25 November 2014, Yury Liashenka tried to hold a picket in defense of people with disabilities in the central square of Svietlahorsk, but was soon detained by an ambulance and taken to hospital.

The response from the Supreme Court signed by Mr. Aniskevich says that the rally could be only carried out only with the permission of the executive committee, while Yury Liashenka had not received such permission. “Arguments about the non-compliance of the ruling by the Svietlahorsk District Court with the norms of international law have not been confirmed. Thus, the court’s conclusions are reasonable and fully supported by the evidence,” says the response.

It is worth recalling that, according to an earlier decision of the Svietlahorsk district executive committee, the city had only one area permitted for rallies and pickets – a stage in the city park. During the proceedings, it became clear that the stage does not exist in nature. And the decision of the executive committee would be impossible to fulfill.

Later, the executive committee adopted a new decision, which determined a different location – a picth in the stadium, behind a high fence.

Yury Liashenka intends to file a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee to protect his right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly.