Fighting For Right To Peaceful Assembly, REP Trade Union Activist Appealed To UN

Alena Linkevich believes that the Belarusian authorities have violated her constitutional rights.

On October 18, Alena Linkevich, head of the Rechytsa REP Trade Union branch, appealed to the UN Human Rights Committee against the ban on the picket to protest against government interference in the internal affairs of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry workers, Homel Viasna writes.

In an appeal to the independent body of international investigation, the trade union activist states that the ban on the picket of the Rechytsa district executive committee was a violation of her civil rights to a peaceful assembly and, as a result, to free expression of her opinion.

According to human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka, in this case, they have used all the legal remedies in the country.

“They have unsuccessfully appealed the ban in the relevant Belarusian instances all of the way to the Supreme Court. Officials banned the picket due to the fact that it was planned to hold the picket not at the place, determined by the authorities for such events. In addition, the citizens, who are the organizers of mass events, are charged with incommensurable duty on concluding commutative contracts for servicing the events, which in this case had not been fulfilled,” – the human rights activist comments on the situation.

Leanid Sudalenka is sure that the Committee will recognize the violation of the complainant’s rights, and the Belarusian authorities will have to create conditions in the town of Rechytsa for expressing the opinions of citizens in the densely-populated parts of the town.

We remind that at the beginning of the year, activists of the independent trade union REP actively protested, submitting applications for pickets of solidarity in its support. In Homel region, pickets were also announced in Mozyr, Svetlahorsk, Vetka, Dobrush and Homel. The authorities did not allow any of the announced activities.