In short, the bill by Interior Minister Shunevich could be called “All to Bangalore.” Minister Shunevich proposed to introduce a notification principle in the organization of mass protests. It means that the permission from local authorities for the demonstrations in certain places will not be necessary.
The Bangalore Square has long been a symbol of protesters being squeezed out of the Minsk center. The law says nothing about spontaneous assemblies.
These changes are echoes of the spring protests.
Permission to protest outside the designated places will still have to be issued by the local authorities. The responsibility of the parties for the event will increase. Pending the approval, the media will not be allowed to announce the meeting date.
And another thing: only journalists of the media who have registered or accredited will be able to work at the protests. This regulation has a direct impact on our channel, which regularly broadcasts live from online protests. The protest organizers say they do not see changes for the better.
The opposition supported the repression against the opposition.
Despite all the issues, before the changes in the law on mass gatherings, it was unanimously voted by all the 104 members of the House of Representatives who took part in the meeting. Among them were members from the opposition — Alena Anisim and Hanna Kanapatskaya.
Basically, the authorities have fixed the informal practices that had been applied before.
In response to the prohibition, activists proposed to actively use telegram channels, that is, the means of communication that are not yet regulated by the authorities.
Arkadz Nestsyarenka, “Belsat”
