Vitsebsk executive authorities have banned fifteen pickets applied for by local activists of the Conservative Christian Party “Belarusian Popular Front”, saying that campaigning for election boycott has nothing to do with the current elections.

“I received a reply from the Central Election Commission saying that the pickets we had applied for have nothing to do with election campaigning, i.e. the pickets are regulated by the Mass Events Code. As a result, the administrations of all the three districts of Vitsebsk banned the pickets, as we failed to meet the Code’s requirements,” says activist Yan Dziarzhautsau.

“Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”