Kalinkavichy Activist: Leave It To BRSM To Rally On Outskirts

Dzianis Rabianok has been striving for holding a picket of solidarity with the REP trade union in the city center.

Kalinkavichy authorities denied Dzianis Rabianok, an activist of the REP trade union, holding a picket in the city center. He wanted to express solidarity with Henadz Fiadynich and political prisoner Ihar Komlik. The activist did not comply with the district executive committee’s response, praca-by.info reports.

Dzianis Rabianok, a REP trade union member from Kalinkovichi, joined the rally of solidarity with political prisoner Ihar Komlik on August 12 and filed for holding a picket in his city. After 10 days he received an official response: the picket was denied.

Rabianok quoted the reason of the refusal on his Facebook page:

"The main reason is as follows: "The place you specified in the application is not included in the list of places defined by the decision of the Kalinkavichy District Executive Committee of September 23, 2013, 1036 "On Holding Mass Events In Kalinkavichy District".

The trade unionist believes that the district executive committee’s response is ridiculous:

"In short, we must go to the outskirts, so that no one sees us, and express our position to the wind. While the BRSM members are unhampered by restriction and can hold their actions in the very center –near the Biarozka trade house (the place where I wanted to hold a rally) – and they happily post photos in Instagram. So, does it mean that the decision of the district executive committee doesn't apply to them? It turns out, there are citizens of the 1st and 2nd grades: those who suit the authorities, get everything, enemies must obey the Law, which does not comply with the Constitution. And they can get repressed in addition."

Dzianis Rabianok will file an official request with the Kalinkavichy regional executive committee asking, on what grounds the BRSM conducts mass events in the places not specified in the resolution:

"It turns out, that the Law applies only to us, while pro-government structures get full cooperation from the authorities, isn't it? And they spend public money on this, which in fact are our common money."