Brest: court upholds ban of “Honest elections without Lukashenka” picket
The Leninski District Court of Brest didn’t grant
the appeal of an activist of the United Civil Party Marat Nestsiarenka against
the prohibition of a picket “For honest elections without Lukashenka”.
The UCP member tried to prove that the decision of the deputy head of the Brest
City Executive Committee Viachaslau Khafizau prohibiting him to hold a picket
in an officially determined place on 15 May 2012 violated his freedom of
expression and assembly, guaranteed by Articles 33 and 35 of the Constitution
and enshrined in Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant of Civil and
Political Rights.
The formal reason for the picket ban was that a football match would be taking
place at the “Locomotive” stadium at the time of the action. However, at the
same time the Brest CEC prohibited two more pickets, which UCP activists
intended to hold in other parts of Brest.
“The political motivation of these bans is evident,” points Mr.
Nestsiarenka. “The campaign of the so-called “election” to the House of
Representatives has started, and we remember well enough what gross violations
of the law the previous electoral campaign was accompanied with. It concerns the
deliberate non-inclusion of representatives of democratic forces in election
commissions at all levels, absolutely disproportional access to state-owned
media for oppositional and pro-governmental candidates and manipulations during
the poll. There is little hope that anything will change this time and my
application for holding a picket under the slogan “For honest elections without
Lukashenka” is just an indicator of the readiness of the authorities to rig
another election.”
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