Authorities are afraid of action on March 25: parties got warnings

The Ministry of Justice warned the Belarusian Popular Front Party and the Conservative Christian party of the BPF about “respect for the laws on mass events”.

A respective statement of March 23 appeared on the official website of the Ministry of Justice.

“In connection with statements by representatives of the governing bodies of certain political parties on intention to have a mass event on the route, different from the one, authorized by the Minsk city executive committee, the Ministry of Justice issued an official warning to the BPF party and the Conservative Christian Party of the BPF that in accordance with article 15 of the Law on Mass Events in the Republic of Belarus, the persons, who will violate the order of organization and (or) holding of mass events, take responsibility in accordance to the law of Belarus,” the statement by the Ministry of Justice says.

The BPF party hasn’t received a warning yet, deputy head of the party Viktar Ivashkevich told BelaPAN. “We usually receive such thing by mail, so we’ll probably get it later,” he said.

As V. Ivashkevich said, only he spoke in favour of possible change in the authorized route of the rally on Freedom Day on March 25. “I didn’t say about a route. I said we would ask the people where we should we go from the place of gathering. If we’ve got a warning in this connection, I say: you fear in vain,” V. Ivashkevich told.

Deputy head of the CCP-BPF Syarhei Papkou also said the party hadn’t received a written warning. “We have applied for a meeting in front of the entrance to the Botanical Garden. The application was dismissed, and we were offered to have a meeting at Banhalor square. The only thing is clear – we won’t go to Banhalor square. I don’t understand what rally they mean,” Papkou said.

As it has been informed earlier, the organizers of the action, dedicated to anniversary of announcement of the Belarusian National Republic offered to appoint gathering of participants near the presidium of the National Academy of Sciences on Independence Avenue at 6.00 p.m. and then go to October square. The city authorities agreed with the place of gathering, but proposed to change the route: go along Surganov Street to Banhalor square. As a result one of the applicants for rally Viktar Ivashkevich told at a press conference in Minsk on March 19 that the organizers will choose the route at the place of gathering of the participants of the action.