Helsinki Committee Denounces Arrest of People’s March Organizers :: Charter'97 :: News

Minsk city hall’s refusal to allow the freedom of peaceful assemblies and rallies, as well as the arrest of the March’s organizers are viewed by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee as flagrant violation of citizens’ rights and Belarus’ international commitments.

“People’s March “For Better Life!” was accompanied by the strikes of entrepreneurs throughout the country and was provoked by unsatisfactory social-economic situation, intensified legal lawlessness and exertion of pressure on private initiative. In the conditions of the absence of freedom of speech and judiciary’s dependence on president and executive, demonstrations remain the only way via which the citizens can show their disagreement with the state policy. However, in an attempt to thwart people’s activism, the authorities use the tactics of fear and sentence the organizers to the longest arrest terms: judges of the Sovietsky court of Minsk Oksana Relyaev and Ruslan Kazadoev sentenced Andrei Sannikov, Ludmila Gryaznova, Dmitry Bondarenko and Leonid Malakhov to 15 days of arrest. Some other participants will soon stand trial too,” – reads the statement of the human rights organization.

BHC recalls that Constitution guarantees every person a right for the decent lifestyle and right to freely express his opinion, as well as enjoy personal immunity and receive fair trial.