The experts of the Centre for Legal Transformation criticized the situation with the civil offense cases after the new law on demonstrations and other mass events came into force.
The experts from the CLT, Aliaksei Kazliuk and Mikhail Matskevich declared that the new legislation, that entered in force in December, 2011, soon after the mass demonstration in Minsk, has made it close to impossible to exercise freedom of assembly and demonstrations for the civil society of Belarus, BelaPAN reports.
According to Aliaksei Kazliuk, the law de facto deprives Belarusan citizens of their right to freedom of assembly and demonstrations declared by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus.
The experts said that police officers did not have enough knowledge about freedom of assembly and their function to secure its observance. As a rule, police normally seek to break up any unauthorized demonstration, even if it is of no threat to public safety, Mr. Kazliuk said. "In particular, this is true for one-person protests and small demonstrations, which account for the majority of the examined cases," he noted.
The experts described the interference of the authorities in peaceful demonstrations as a "disproportionate measure that violates freedom of assembly and expression."
Judges that consider such cases are usually guided by the law and ignore both the Constitution and International Agreements, Kazliuk said.
The Belarus Committee of ICOMOS announces the collection of cases on the effectiveness of the State List of Historical and Cultural Values as a tool of the safeguarding the cultural monuments.
On March 27-28, the Belarus ICOMOS and the EuroBelarus held an online expert workshop on expanding opportunities for community participation in the governance of historical and cultural heritage.
It is impossible to change life in cities just in three years (the timeline of the “Agenda 50” campaign implementation). But changing the structure of relationships in local communities is possible.
"Specificity is different, but the priority is general." In Valożyn, a local strategy for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed.
The campaign "Agenda 50" was summed up in Ščučyn, and a local action plan for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed there.
The regional center has become the second city in Belarus where the local plan for the implementation of the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed.
Representatives of the campaign “Agenda 50” from five pilot cities discussed achievements in creating local agendas for implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It is noteworthy that out of the five pilot cities, Stoubcy was the last to join the campaign “Agenda 50”, but the first one to complete the preparation of the local agenda.
On May 28, the city hosted a presentation of the results of the project "Equal to Equal" which was dedicated to monitoring the barrier-free environment in the city.
On March 3, members of the campaign "Agenda 50" from different Belarusian cities met in Minsk. The campaign is aimed at the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In Stolin, social organizations and local authorities are implementing a project aimed at independent living of persons with disabilities, and creating local agenda for the district.
He said Belarus would likely face economic tightening not only as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but also a Russian trade oil crisis that worsened this past winter.
In his report, philosopher Gintautas Mažeikis discusses several concepts that have been a part of the European social and philosophical thought for quite a time.
It is impossible to change life in cities just in three years (the timeline of the “Agenda 50” campaign implementation). But changing the structure of relationships in local communities is possible.