No Freedom Day For Belarusians. Minsk Authorities Refuse To Authorise Holiday
Belarusfeed
23 March 2021, 20:37
The Municipal Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee refused to conclude an agreement with the organisers of Freedom Day. There are two official reasons for refusal: the route announced by the organisers and the COVID-19.
Recall that an application for holding Freedom Day was submitted on behalf of three legal entities: the For Freedom movement, the BPF Adradzhenne public organization and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. According to the organizers, the event was supposed to be a procession, meeting and concert.
According to the law, before submitting an application to the city executive committee for holding a mass event, organizers must conclude contracts with an ambulance, communal services and the police who will work at the mass event. Without these agreements, the city cannot agree on the event. The organisers had a contract with the ambulance at the beginning of March. The police refused to conclude the contract.
The response, signed by Internal Affairs Minister Mikhail Grib, reads that the police rejected the received application for concluding a contract due to a number of objective reasons. For example, in the reply, they remind that Article 9 of the Law “On Mass Events” prohibits holding mass events at a distance of fewer than 50 meters from the buildings of republican government bodies, etc.
At the same time, as stated in the response, the venues of the declared mass events are adjacent to the territories of organizations that ensure the defence capability, state security and the life of the population. At the same time, the route announced by the organizers had previously been used on Freedom Day: a procession from the intersection of Independence Avenue with Yanka Kupala Street to Parizhskaya Kommuna, 1, and a rally at the site in front of the Opera House.
“Under such circumstances, taking into account the declared number of participants (from 10,000 people), calls for unauthorized actions, including those of an extremist nature, available in various telegram channels, as well as the presence of restrictions established by law, and the need to minimize the spread of acute respiratory infections caused by COVID-19, the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee refuses to conclude an agreement on the provision of services for the protection of public order,” Mikhail Grib said in a statement.
“The presence of administrative buildings, referred to by the police, did not prevent the legal celebration of Freedom Day in 2018 at the site near the Opera House. References to the epidemiological situation as the reason for the refusal look inappropriate taking into account that it doesn’t interfere with holding state events with thousands of participants indoors. The applicants did not call for extremist activities, so this cannot be a reason for refusal,” leader of the For Freedom movement Yury Gubarevich told TUT.BY.
The Minsk City Executive Committee rejected the request of the organizers of Freedom Day too. The Minsk City Executive Committee’s response contains several reasons for the refusal. For example, it reads that the route chosen by the organizers doesn’t comply with the requirements of the law. Although the route has already been used on Freedom Day.
In addition, the city authorities refer to the fact that the organizers have a contract only with an ambulance, but there is no agreement with the police and public utilities. Without these agreements, the city cannot agree on the event. The organizers had a contract with the ambulance at the beginning of March. Local authorities in Mogilev also refused to held Freedom Day activities on 25 March.
23 March 2021, 20:37
Recall that an application for holding Freedom Day was submitted on behalf of three legal entities: the For Freedom movement, the BPF Adradzhenne public organization and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party. According to the organizers, the event was supposed to be a procession, meeting and concert.
According to the law, before submitting an application to the city executive committee for holding a mass event, organizers must conclude contracts with an ambulance, communal services and the police who will work at the mass event. Without these agreements, the city cannot agree on the event. The organisers had a contract with the ambulance at the beginning of March. The police refused to conclude the contract.
The response, signed by Internal Affairs Minister Mikhail Grib, reads that the police rejected the received application for concluding a contract due to a number of objective reasons. For example, in the reply, they remind that Article 9 of the Law “On Mass Events” prohibits holding mass events at a distance of fewer than 50 meters from the buildings of republican government bodies, etc.
At the same time, as stated in the response, the venues of the declared mass events are adjacent to the territories of organizations that ensure the defence capability, state security and the life of the population. At the same time, the route announced by the organizers had previously been used on Freedom Day: a procession from the intersection of Independence Avenue with Yanka Kupala Street to Parizhskaya Kommuna, 1, and a rally at the site in front of the Opera House.
“Under such circumstances, taking into account the declared number of participants (from 10,000 people), calls for unauthorized actions, including those of an extremist nature, available in various telegram channels, as well as the presence of restrictions established by law, and the need to minimize the spread of acute respiratory infections caused by COVID-19, the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee refuses to conclude an agreement on the provision of services for the protection of public order,” Mikhail Grib said in a statement.
“The presence of administrative buildings, referred to by the police, did not prevent the legal celebration of Freedom Day in 2018 at the site near the Opera House. References to the epidemiological situation as the reason for the refusal look inappropriate taking into account that it doesn’t interfere with holding state events with thousands of participants indoors. The applicants did not call for extremist activities, so this cannot be a reason for refusal,” leader of the For Freedom movement Yury Gubarevich told TUT.BY.
The Minsk City Executive Committee rejected the request of the organizers of Freedom Day too. The Minsk City Executive Committee’s response contains several reasons for the refusal. For example, it reads that the route chosen by the organizers doesn’t comply with the requirements of the law. Although the route has already been used on Freedom Day.
In addition, the city authorities refer to the fact that the organizers have a contract only with an ambulance, but there is no agreement with the police and public utilities. Without these agreements, the city cannot agree on the event. The organizers had a contract with the ambulance at the beginning of March. Local authorities in Mogilev also refused to held Freedom Day activities on 25 March.
