A sober view prevails

As the result of the coordinated activity of the activists of the Movement for Freedom (the MFF) and of the Right Alliance youth organization, the authorities took a decision to discontinue the nighttime sale of alcoholic beverages in the Azarennie shop No.28.

The shop under consideration is the night shop at Bielskaha str. 69. Since the summer 2009 when this trade outlet began working 24 hours a day, the most popular products at nighttime have been vodka and beer of various brands that were sold almost in drinks. Two murders and some twenty robberies were committed near the night shop in six months of its work.

The activists of the MFF and of the Right Alliance began the civil campaign in order to prohibit the nighttime sale of strong alcoholic beverages. Some five thousand copies of materials about the harm of alcohol abuse and some 400 disks with anti-alcohol information were distributed, some dozen of appeals were sent to governmental agencies, and a letter signed by 300 residents of the Frunzienski district was sent to the Minsk City Executive Committee demanding to prohibit the sale of alcohol at nighttime.

Finally, the authorities agreed with people: the Right Alliance activists received the official answer from the Consumer Market Chief Administration of the Minsk City Executive Committee informing that, based on the collective appeal of the citizens, the decision was taken to discontinue the sale of vodka (except the “souvenir products”), beer, and low alcohol beverages in the Azarennie shop No.28 from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“I think this is our first small victory in the great work. We are glad that the officials listened to us, eventually. We consider this to be the beginning of the real dialogue of the local authorities with the citizens, and will continue struggling for a healthy future of the Belarusian nation, even with more enthusiasm”, one of the activists of the campaign Ales Shpakouski says.

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