Constitution and Law on Our Side :: Charter'97 :: News

People’s March “For Better Life!” will be held on March 14 in compliance with article 35 of the Belarusian Constitution, which guarantees to every individual a right for the freedom of assemblies, meetings, street rallies, demonstrations and pickets, which don’t violate the order of things and other people’s rights, said at today’s press-conference in Minsk members of the organizing committee for celebrating the People’s March – Charter’97 human rights coordinator Ludmila Gryaznova, international coordinator of Charter’97 Andrei Sannikov, co-chairman of the “Private property” public association Leonid Malakhov, ZUBR resistance movement’s coordinator Vladimir Kobets, chairman of the “Perspective” public association Anatoly Shumchenko. The participants can gather at 6p.m. on March 12, Yakub Kolas square.

The initiators of the action – Ludmila Gryaznova, Andrei Sannikov and Vladimir Kobets, were invited on March 7 to the Minsk city hall in order to discuss the format of the upcoming action. At the meeting there was also present deputy chair of the Minsk city hall Mikhail Patrushev. However, said Andrei Sannikov, in reality, the organizers were simply notified about the city hall’s decision, which, according to Sannikov, is totally illiterate and ridiculous. First, they never warned Andrei Sannikov as an organizer about the authorities’ decision, for the city hall’s decision was designated for a Mrs.Sannikova A.O. Secondly, in their response, they note that the People’s March will be held “in order to protect entrepreneurs’ rights”, though this is only one of the many stated goals. In fact, the protesters intend to rally against the incompetent state policy, which led the nation to misery. Even more absurd looks the state ban to hold March 12 march, for the application was filed for a demonstration and a meeting. By the way, the Minsk city hall allowed to hold the meeting on 6-7p.m. on the Bangalor square.

According to Sannikov, the city authorities violated the law, for they have no right to change the format of the action. They infringed on the Constitution and Law, which guarantee to the citizens the right for demonstrations. So, the action will commence at 6p.m., March 12 from the Yakub Kolas square, as originally planned. As concerns the route of the march, Sannikov hopes that “they will manage to decide that on the spot”.

ZUBR coordinator mentioned the Ukrainian experience of holding similar events. Yesterday he returned from Kiev, where he engaged in the peaceful protest upon invitation of the leaders of the Ukrainian opposition. The rally attracted overall around 50.000-100.000 protesters. In order to get that many people to the downtown, opposition members only notified the city authorities. They needed no special permit for the purpose, while the action resulted in no detentions.

Charter’97 human rights coordinator Ludmila Gryaznova reminded the audience about the statement, which the Amnesty International circulated earlier in the day. In particular, the human rights watchdog organization called on the law-enforcers and authorities to ensure peaceful order of things at the March 12 action People’s March “For Better Life!” AI will consider every detainee to be a prisoner of conscience, concludes the document.

Representatives of the entrepreneurial structures Leonid Malakhov and Anatoly Shumchenko said that their intention to hold a countrywide businessmen’s strike on March 12 and personally engage in the People’s March remains unaltered. According to Malakhov, this morning the entrepreneurs of Minsk marketplaces discussed the Minsk city hall’s decision, recognized it illegitimate and said that they would most actively join the protest anyways. “We have nowhere to retreat,” – said Leonid Malakhov.