Procedure for Conducting Mass Events
The procedure for conducting mass events is regulated by the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Mass Events in the Republic of Belarus" (hereinafter referred to as the Law).
Article 4 of the Law stipulates that the organizers of a meeting, rally, street procession, demonstration, picketing, which is expected to involve up to 1000 participants, and other mass events regardless of the number of expected participants may be citizens of the Republic of Belarus, permanently residing on its territory, who have reached the age of eighteen and possess voting rights, specified in this capacity in the application for holding a mass event and who have undertaken a written commitment for its organization and conduct in accordance with this Law, as well as political parties, trade unions, and other organizations of the Republic of Belarus, registered in the established manner, except for organizations of the Republic of Belarus whose activities have been suspended in accordance with legislative acts.
The organizers of meetings, rallies, street processions, demonstrations, and picketing, in which the participation of more than 1,000 people is expected, may only be political parties, trade unions, and other organizations of the Republic of Belarus.
According to Article 5 of the Law, an application for the conduct of a mass event (hereinafter referred to as the application) shall be submitted by its organizer(s) to the local executive and administrative body in the territory where the mass event is planned to be held, unless otherwise provided for in parts two and three of this article.
If a mass event is planned to be held in the territory of several administrative-territorial units or the expected number of participants exceeds 1,000 people (for meetings, rallies, street marches, demonstrations, and picketing) or 1,500 people (for other mass events), the application must be submitted to the relevant regional executive committee.
The application must be submitted in writing no later than 15 days before the proposed date of the mass event, except in cases where the application for the mass event, as provided for by part ten of Article 45 of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus, is submitted no later than five days before the proposed date of the mass event.
The application specifies: the purpose, type, location of the event, source of funding for the mass event; date of the event, time of its start and end; route of movement, information about vehicles (make, model, vehicle registration number, surname, first name, patronymic (if any), place of residence of the person who will drive the vehicle), if the mass event will be held using them; the expected number of participants; surname, first name, patronymic (if any) of the organizer(s), their citizenship, date of birth, place of residence, place of work (study), contact phone number, and in case the organizer(s) are a political party, trade union, or other organization of the Republic of Belarus, the name of such political party, trade union, or other organization of the Republic of Belarus, their legal address, as well as the surname, first name, patronymic (if any) of the person(s) designated by them as responsible for the organization and conduct of the mass event.date of birth, place of residence, contact phone number; information on the use of pyrotechnic products (type, quantity) and open flames, if the mass event will be held using them; measures to ensure public order and safety during the mass event; measures related to medical services and cleaning the area after the mass event; date of application submission.
The application is accompanied by a written obligation of the organizer(s) or the person(s) responsible for the organization and conduct of the mass event.
The application, submitted in accordance with part six of this article, is registered by the local executive and administrative body on the day of submission.
The deadline for submitting the application is calculated from the day it is registered with the local executive and administrative authority.
Organizers of mass events may not be refused the acceptance of an application if it is оформлена in accordance with part five of this article and submitted within the time frame established by part four of this article.
Article 11 of the Law stipulates that during the conduct of a mass event, its participants are required to maintain public order and comply with all lawful demands of the organizers of the mass event, employees of the internal affairs bodies, and representatives of the public who are performing duties to ensure public order.
During the conduct of a meeting, rally, street march, demonstration, or picketing, their organizers and participants are prohibited from: obstructing the movement of vehicles and pedestrians; creating obstacles to the uninterrupted functioning of organizations; setting up tents or other temporary structures; influencing in any way the employees of internal affairs bodies in order to hinder them from performing their official duties, as well as representatives of the public performing duties to maintain public order; possessing cold weapons, firearms, gas or other weapons, explosives and ammunition, items whose damaging effect is based on the use of flammable substances, their imitators and dummies, other items that may be used as weapons, poisonous, toxic, pungently smelling, easily flammable substances, fire hazardous and pyrotechnic substances or products, except for matches and pocket lighters, as well as other substances, items, products, including homemade ones, whose use may lead to smoke, ignition, as well as alcoholic, low-alcohol beverages and/or beer; to carry outpropaganda of war or extremist activities, including the use of posters, banners, or other means; to act by methods that create a threat to public safety, life, and health of participants in the specified events or other persons, or to conceal their faces, including by using masks, other items, and/or means to hinder the establishment of their identity; to use flags, pennants, not registered in the established manner, as well as emblems, symbols, posters, and banners, the content of which is aimed at causing harm to public order, the rights, and legitimate interests of citizens; to commit any actions that violate the established procedure for organizing and conducting mass events, as well as to incite such actions by any means; to participate in a mass event while in a state of alcohol intoxication or in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic substances, psychotropic substances, their analogues, toxic or other intoxicating substances.
Organizers of mass events, employees of internal affairs bodies, and representatives of the public performing duties to maintain public order have the right to: cordon off the areas of mass event venues using engineering and technical means, conduct photography, audio, and video recording of participants in mass events, implement access control; require citizens to leave the venue of the mass event if they violate public order and the requirements established by this Law; terminate access for citizens to the venue of the mass event considering the capacity of the specified venue.
Employees of the internal affairs bodies, performing duties to ensure public order, have the right to conduct personal searches of citizens and searches of items in their possession, including with the use of technical and special means. Personal searches of citizens are conducted by a person of the same gender as the individual being searched. In the event that a citizen refuses a personal search or the search of items in their possession, they will not be allowed entry to the venue of the mass event.
Violations of the procedure for holding mass events are subject to both administrative (Article 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and criminal (Article 369-3 of the Criminal Code) liability.
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