Minsk Businessmen Embark on Sedentary Strike :: Charter'97 :: News

Minsk traders from the fairs “Dynamo”, “Zhdanovichi”, “Parking”, “Kupalovsky”, “Underground town”, “Impulse”, “Olymp” and others went for a sitting strike in central city. Over a thousand small business representatives sat for an hour at the Oktyabrskaya square of Minsk, supporting the demands, formulated during their unlimited strike, which commenced on September 1. In first turn, they demand cancellation of the already passed orders, which violate their civil rights and strangle their business. The action’s organizer was a co-chairman of the “Private initiative” Leonid Malakhov, who has just served 10 days of arrest for protesting against infringement on entrepreneurs’ rights.

The entrepreneurs determined to launch a public protest due to the futility of yesterday’s meeting between the united council of entrepreneurs, deputy Minister of economy Andrei Tur and officials from the department of entrepreneurship of the Ministry of economy. According to the protesters, their claims and complaints remain unheard by the statesmen. However, during yesterday’s event the sides agreed to hold on September 6 a round table, at which they would discuss the problems. That meeting will define the future actions of businessmen, they said. Anyway, the traders are determined to fight for their interests to the very end.

Till September 6 the following Minsk markets will be out of operation: “Parking”, “Kupalovsky”, “Impulse”, “Zhdanovichi”, “Dynamo”, “Olymp”, “Underground town” along with the markets from Borisov, Baranovichi, Gomel, Mozyr, Rechitsa, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Maryina Gorka, Mogilev, Kalinkovichi, Zhitkovichi, Elsk, Ivatsevichi, Zhlobin, Osipovichi, Orsha and Novopolotsk.

Today’s action resulted in no detentions, although the square was filled with police and plain-clothed law-enforcers, who videotaped the event.