Defender Of Belarusian Sovereignty Seeks Support From UN
- 6.03.2020, 12:02
Leanid Kulakou has establish the guilt of the Belarusian authorities in violation of his right to peaceful assembly four times.
On March 6, Leanid Kulakou, activist of the European Belarus civil campaign, filed an individual complaint to the UN Committee on Human Rights. At the international level, the activist raised the issue of systematic persecution for participating in protest rallies against the deep integration with Russia, Homel Viasna reports.
Last December, judges of Pershamaiski district of Minsk Sviatlana Cherapovich, Anastasiya Leikouskaya and Maksim Trusevich imposed three times the maximum 50 basic units fines for a total of Br3,825 and sent him to jail for 10 days.
It is noteworthy that on December 27, three separate orders concerning the fines and arrest were issued against Leanid Kulakou in court simultaneously, although under the law the court was obliged to consider them on an aggregate basis by summing them up (Article 7.4. of the Administrative Code). Nevertheless, even such an obvious violation of the national law had no impact on cancelling the court verdicts - the Minsk City Court upheld the illegal rulings of the district courts.
The man believes that the Belarusian authorities violated his rights to peaceful assembly and expression of opinion four times.
"Even if I took part in unauthorized rallies, the court must assess my actions proceeding primarily from the international obligations of our country in the field of human rights, namely to prove the proportionality and expediency of the restrictions imposed on my rights," - Leanid Kulakou says.
Human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka, who runs the activist's case at the international level, notes that it is the duty of the state to prove every time for achievement of what goal it prosecutes its citizens. As long as any meeting, even if it is unauthorized, is peaceful, the authorities have no right to interfere at all.
"The main problem of our country today is the total disregard of fundamental human rights by the judiciary. Kulakou's case most vividly confirms my words, the judges boldly take responsibility not only for violating international law, but even for violating their own law, as in this case," - the lawyer stressed.
Leanid Kulakou asks the UN Committee to establish the fact of violation of his rights to peaceful assembly and expression of opinion. He also asks to oblige the Belarusian government to bring the national law on mass events and its practical application in line with the international obligations of the country.
We remind that this is not the first complaint of the activist at the international level. At present the UN Committee on Human Rights is considering his complaint about 10 days of arrest for hanging banners with the inscription "Freedom To Charter-97" on the fence of the Chaliuskintsau Park in Minsk. To attract the attention of passers-by, Leanid Kulakou used a pyrotechnic product.