Belarus plans clampdown on 'silent' protests

Minsk, July 29 (Interfax) - The Belarusian government has responded to weekly "silent" public protests by drafting a law that would make such actions punishable if they have no permission from the authorities.

Under the planned law, the text of which is posted on the national legislation website, forms of picketing that need permission from urban authorities would include the "joint mass presence of citizens in a public place that has been chosen beforehand, including an outdoor space, and at a scheduled time for the purpose of a form of action or inaction that has been planned beforehand and is a form of public expression of the public or political sentiments or protest."

This would apply to events of this kind "organized via the global Internet or other information networks."

"Persons who have committed offenses against the regulations on the organization or conduct of a mass event cannot act as organizers of a mass event within one year of an administrative penalty ordered for such an offense," the proposed law would say.

The planned law would authorize police to "fence off sites of mass events with engineering or technical facilities, photograph and make audio and video recordings of mass events, and impose pass control." Police would also be authorized to body-search people and look through their belongings.

The bill is a response to weekly "silent" actions in which people would gather on the central square of a city, walk around in silence and clap their hands as an expression of protest.

The "silent" protests, organized through social network websites by a group called Revolution through Social Networks, have been held on Wednesdays since June, but an action that was due to take place on the Komarovsky Market in the capital Minsk on July 27 was canceled.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/109714/