Belarusian Helsinki Committee Applies to Constitutional Court

According to BelaPAN

The Republican public association Belarusian Helsinki Committee has applied to the Constitutional Court with the request to give the legal evaluation of the practice of usage of article 191-3 of the Criminal Code (activity on behalf of unregistered organization).

According to the BHC deputy chair Hary Pahaniaila the reason for this application is the verdict that has been issued to the activists of the public initiative Partnership Mikalai Astreika, Enira Branitskaia, Tsimafei Dranchuk and Aliaksandr Shalaika.

˜Since these amendments to the Criminal code were adopted and started to be used in practice we have repeatedly stated that it is a violation of the constitutional right of citizens to political or, as it is in this case, public activity,’ Mr Pahaniaila said. According to him this law is aimed at ˜suppression of political activity of the population and is used for paralyzing people’s initiative’. According to Hary Pahaniaila, the BHC has often applied to the Constitutional Court with the request to give legal evaluation to different decisions of state organs, but this instance treats these requests arbitrary. ˜In the case the question doesn’t concern politics, they really consider our applications. Otherwise they openly ignore them’, he said and added that in the case the court ignores this application as well, the human rights activists can apply to the international structures.