Homel Residents Strive To Achieve Right To Hold Rally In Support of Charter'97

Leanid Sudalenka is going to reach the Supreme Court with this demand.

The Homel City Executive Committee considered the application of representatives of the independent REP trade union in the region Victar Kazlou and Leanid Sudalenka for holding a street action and did not give permission for the mass event. Important to note, a street procession was planned to protest against the blocking of the independent website Charter97.org by the Ministry of Information, on February 17 in Homel, Homel Spring reports.

The City Executive Committee pointed out that the place where the street action was to be held by the organizers (the pedestrian section of Savetskaya Street) does not meet the requirements of Article 9 of the Law "On Mass Events", meaning that the building of the City Executive Committee is located along the route of the procession. In addition, deputy chairman of the city executive committee Vital Atamanchuk explained that one of the applicants, L. Sudalenka, was prosecuted last year for having violated the procedure for holding mass events, referring to his participation in the protest action of socialparasites on February 17, 2017.

An extract from the answer of the Homel City Executive Committee on the prohibition of street action. February 12, 2018.

Human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka, who was warned last year by the authorities for taking part in a street procession and demonstration, believes that the government still takes responsibility for violating the constitutional rights of citizens and claims that they will appeal the refusal in court.

"We have on our hands a unique case, namely, a ban on a peaceful assembly because I was previously brought to justice for participating in a peaceful assembly. The absurdity of the situation is not even that such misunderstanding is spelled out in the Belarusian law, uniqueness comes from practice - actual taboos are imposed on meetings in the country, and if a citizen participates in an unauthorized action, they are pursued with administrative sanctions. And once a citizen was involved, they have no right and so on, " - the human rights activist comments on the situation.

He also recalled the recent statement by Valiantsin Sukala, the head of the Supreme Court, that the Belarusian government wants to reduce the number of complaints of Belarusian citizens to the UN Human Rights Committee.

"Mr. Sukala! We in this case will reach the Supreme Court and I will certainly sign up for you at the reception. I think we have something to talk about on this exciting topic, I know exactly how to reduce the flow of complaints from Belarus to the UN Committee on Human Rights," - Leanid Sudalenka said.