3 pickets permitted, 400 forbidden

The Belarusian authorities allowed only three pickets on 30 September, though the applicants asked to give them permissions for holding 458 pickets. This information was given to BelaPAN by the vice-chairman of the Party of Communists of Belarus Valer Uhnalou. According to him, the authorities responded to 90% of requests. “We got permissions for three pickets – two in Brest and one in Navahrudak. The other responses are negative”, - V. Uhnalou said. The remaining 10% are the requests for holding pickets in the regions on places, which the local authorities determined for such actions.

“What concerns Minsk, we receive the standard answers for the determined places: in the Park of 50 Years of October and on Bangalor Square our pickets will “disturb the pedestrian and automobile traffic”. It’s interesting to know what automobile traffic they found in the Park of 50 Years of October”, - V. Uhnalou remarked.

According to the politician, the organizers are going to hold the pickets all the same. “Not all 458, of course. But people will come. It’s clear that they won’t come to the places they asked permission in the requests, it would mean the organization of unsanctioned actions. But they will come out, no doubt, in the streets, will hand out the informational materials, independent press, gather the signatures to address the deputies, who practically deprived people of the preferences… All in all, there can be various forms of communicating with people. By the way, I want to stress: all the informational materials and the news-papers were published according the laws and have all the necessary imprints “, - V. Uhnalou said.