Fyadynich: People’s assembly will be absolutely legal

Euroradio: You organized a press conference on October 5 and announced that the People’s Assembly would take place. Could you tell us the main topics on the agenda, please?

Fyadynich: We announced that coordination councils worked in 26 cities and 22 more cities had announced that they were ready to organize local people’s assemblies. Minsk is among them.

Euroradio: How will it happen?

Fyadynich: It will be organized according to the Law on republican and local assemblies and we know that policemen often violate this law and use the Law on mass actions when dealing with our activists. However, this law cannot be applied to organizers’ and participants of local assemblies. 12 our people have already been fined or arrested and 5 of them are members of the trade union. That is why I have sent a letter to the Attorney General, the head of the Supreme Court and the Minister of Internal Affairs and asked them to assess the actions of the police and courts that do not use the Law on republican and local assemblies in their work. We have also asked to take measures that would be directed at respecting Belarusian citizens’ constitutional rights and the Law on republican and local assemblies.
I would also like to note that all the steering committees have invited the heads of the executive committees where the assemblies will be held. We have not received any replies yet. Speaking about Minsk, Mr. Ladutska will give a live interview tomorrow and we will try to phone him or send our questions and citizens’ questions by e-mal. We will ask Mr. Ladutska whether he is going to take part in the local assembly in Bangalore Square in Minsk.

Euroradio: How will it be planned? What will happen after assemblies in cities and villages are over?

Fyadynich: People will be invited to the assemblies and heads the assemblies and secretaries will be elected. The agenda will be announced and people will be able to vote. The agenda will be discussed and resolutions ill be adopted. Commissioners will be elected and they will be entrusted with informing the administration and the government about the issues that will be discussed at the the meetings. There will be local commissioners too. They will conduct negotiations and watch whether citizens’ demands are fulfilled to continue the assembly on November 12.

Euroradio: In what mood people are before the People’s Assembly? We know that the rating of trust to the authorities has decreased dramatically but people are not ready to protest. How can we get over the economic, political and spiritual crisis?

Fyadynich: This national assembly is citizens’ first step towards a dialogue with the authorities. Citizens have to start a dialogue and the authorities should be eager to conduct it. If they do not take citizens’ opinion into account, no mater how many of them will come – thousands or dozens of thousands – and it is an active part of the society that cares about the economic situation and the state’s independence – it will not be mere words. If the government wants to reach an agreement with citizens they should meet half-way. Citizens are trying to make this step now.