First May rally banned

The Minsk city executive committee forbade the left to hold a rally on Labour Day on May 1.

The reply of the city authorities says “another event” will be held in the Peoples' Friendship Park on May 1 at the time applied.

On April 26, Valery Ukhnalyou, one of the applicants for the rally, received an official answer from the Minsk city executive committee to the application for holding a rally in the Peoples' Friendship Park on May 1 from 12 pm to 1 pm. The Minsk authorities informed another event would be carried out in the park, but did not say which one, Valery Ukhnalyou told “Belorusski Partizan”.

“We did not expect a refusal. It is an international holiday which is marked officially in the country. We did not expect the Minsk authorities to ban a rally on the state holiday. I think the authorities are not happy with the questions we planned to discuss at the rally (work, wages, social protection), because they do not have answers to them. They have nothing to tell people. The authorities are afraid of uncomfortable questions they cannot answer,” Valery Ukhnalyou said.

Applicants for the rally (Valery Ukhnalyou, Alyaksandr Bukhvostau and Valery Fralou) are meeting today to discuss their further actions.

“The Minsk city executive committee had a legal right to propose another place or time for the rally. It was not  done. We will discuss the situation,” Bukhvostau noted.