EaP CSF’s Belarusian National Platform defends protesters against controversial restaurant in Kurapaty
The Belarusian National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership has issued a statement to “express deep concern” over the construction and opening of the restaurant Poedem, Poedim next to the historical and cultural site Kurapaty in Minsk.
In particular, the statement stresses that the General Prosecutor's Office concluded back in 2014 that the construction was unauthorized. Nevertheless, in 2014 the Ministry of Culture changed the boundaries of the protective area so that they included the illegally constructed restaurant.
“Thus, those responsible for violations of the laws of the Republic of Belarus were not brought to justice, and the illegally constructed restaurant and entertainment complex received approval to operate,” says the statement.
The National Platform also calls on police to stop charging activists involved in the protests blocking the activities of the restaurant.
The authorities should “suspend the operation of the restaurant and entertainment complex Poedem, Poedim in order to clarify additional circumstances of the legality of their construction,” civil society leaders said.
The statement was signed by over 40 CSOs, including the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, Belarusian Documentation Center, Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House, Center for Legal Transformation, Belarusian Association of Journalists and others.
The Belarusian National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership brings together more than 70 Belarusian civil society organizations. It was founded in 2010 to “consolidate the institutional possibilities on behalf of the civil society organizations to influence the democratization processes in the country, the Belarusian-European cooperation and to reform agenda related to the approximation to the European standards.”
