MINSK, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - Around 1,500 business owners took to the streets on Monday in central Minsk in protest at a presidential decree that only allows them to hire their close relatives.
The new legislation, which entered into force January 1, 2008, obliges small business owners, who employ staff other than family members, to re-register their companies as privately-owned enterprises, which would double the amount of taxes they have to pay.
Police vehicles have lined the protest route and riot police have so far dispersed hundreds of protesters who gathered by the Belarusian government building.
An earlier protest took place in the Belarusian capital on January 10 where around 3,000 people gathered. A total of 27 protestors, including several opposition leaders, were detained by police.
