Liabedzka Appeals To United Nations Human Rights Committee

The leader of the United Civil Party is filing a complaint to the UN against the restrictions of his right to peaceful assembly.

On May 19, the leader of the United Civil Party (UCP) Anatol Liabedzka addressed the Minsk city court cassation authority with a complaint on the decision of the Maskouski district court of Minsk, which, following the executive committee officials, restricted the politician’s rights to freedom of expression and holding of peaceful assembly, ucpb.org reports.

Anatol Liabedzka said that, considering his application, the court refused to characterize the actions of the Minsk city executive committee on the basis of the constitutional norms of direct action and international law, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, although the arguments set out in his complaint were relevant and important.

“In particular, assessing the situation of international and national law, I drew the court's attention to the fact that every valid international treaty, to which our country has joined, must be performed in good faith. According to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, a member of an international treaty is not permitted to invoke internal law as justification for its failure to perform its treaty obligations,” – the politician said.

Head of the UCP Legal Affairs Committee Leanid Sudalenka believes the UN Committee on Human Rights will consider Anatol Liabedzka’s case, since the power actually forbade him to organize peaceful assembly on the grounds that he had been previously brought to administrative responsibility.

“Any restriction of rights must comply strictly with the requirement of necessity and proportionality, it must not only be legally provided, as we have it here, but also be necessary for achievement of the specific objectives, enlisted in the Constitution and established by international law. In our party leader’s case, this requirement is not fulfilled,” – the lawyer said.

Anatol Liabedzka intends to use all domestic remedies in order to carry over the verdict for consideration of international experts in Geneva (UNCHR).

We remind that in March bailiffs arrested the opposition politician’s mobile account.