Kruhlaje executive committee cancels own decision on prohibited picketing locations
The website of the Kruhlaje district executive committee has published a new decision "On the determination of places prohibited for picketing in order to collect voters' signatures for nomination of candidates for the presidency of the Republic of Belarus". The decision of the executive committee is dated July 15.
According to the new decision, it is prohibited to stage pickets in order to collect signatures of voters from 23 July to 21 August 2015 inclusive on the territory of educational institutions, health care, culture, physical culture and sports, social welfare, bus stations and less than 50 meters from the local representative, executive and administrative bodies and their structural units, prosecutor’s offices, courts, territories of organizations providing for national defense, security of the state and life of the population.
The same document repeals an earlier decision of July 9.
The new decision is much more liberal than the previous one, as now the district will really have public places where activists can campaign for the nomination of presidential candidates. According to the decision of 9 July, it was forbidden to organize picketing at a distance of less than 50 meters from the buildings of the district executive committee, rural executive committees, courts, prosecutor’s offices and the Department of the Interior. It was also forbidden to collect signatures at a distance of less than 50 meters from the territory of kindergartens and educational institutions, healthcare facilities, less than 50 meters from the entrances to enterprises and organizations, at bus stops, intersections, pedestrian crossings. In fact, the ban covered all of the most crowded places in the town.
"Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections"