Five activists were detained in Zhodzina. Protocols were drawn on Ales Abramovich, Mikhail Latyshau, Pavel Staravoitau, Pavel Prakapovich and Ales Makayeu up reports for breaking the rules of the mass event organization. The activists arrived in the city to hold a rally of solidarity and to collect signatures for the abolition of the decree on certification of products, but their plans were not to be realised.
“To date, we have collected more than a thousand signatures, and we need 50 thousand, because every vote of an entrepreneur, employee, and a citizen is now at a premium for the business,” explains Deputy Chairman of the Movement of Solidarity “Together” Ales Makayeu.
Fifty thousand signatures are needed to file the initiative to terminate the Decree #222 could with the Constitutional Court. This number allows to give the address the status of legislative initiative and obliges the Court to consider it.
Initially, the activists planned to collect the required number of signatures by June. But the progress was slow. First of all, the problem was a lack of entrepreneurs’ awareness and position of administrations markets.
“Unfortunately, the market administration prevents the collection of signatures, individual entrepreneurs are under pressure, in fact, both police and security forces also hinder the process, filming activists, and individual entrepreneurs get afraid,” says Pavel Prakopovich of Business Rescue Committee.
the activists never managed to hold a meeting and rally for Zhodzina traders — they were detained immediately after the collection of signatures. In the future similar actions are planned in the markets of Vorsha on 31 May and in Baranavichy on 5 June.
