On April 27, on behalf of the committee to organize the Congress of Pro-Democracy Forces, Mikalai Statkevich and Henadz Fedynich filed with Minsk City Executive Committee an application for venue rental. On May 15, they plan to have a Congress.
According to Statkevich, at least 500-600 people are expected to attend, reports BelaPAN. Organizers are asking the city authorities for any space in Minsk big enough to accommodate the congress participants.
The politician said that the committee was trying to find a venue on their own, as it has representatives of registered organizations with the right to hold meetings on the premises without the approval of the authorities. However, the owners of the premises had refused to provide them with a room for rent. "Therefore, we appeal directly to the authorities: let them give it to us. If the room is not provided, the congress will be held in the open air," says Statkevich.
The Congress of Pro-Democracy Forces Organizing Committee comprises several prominent public figures as Mikalai Statkevich, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu, Stanislau Shushkevich, Zmitser Dashkevich, Vyachaslau Siuchyk, Andrei Sannikau, Henadz Fedynich and Mikhail Pastukhou.