24.06.2009 PACE calls on Belarus to register Nasha Viasna

Resolution 1671 (2009)1 Parliamentary Assembly Assemblee parlementaire

23.06.2009 Viasna’s Brest office to strive for registration in court

On 22 June the founders of the Berastseyskaya Viasna human rights NGO lodged a complaint with Brest regional court against the decision by the city authorities of 4 June to deny registration to the organization. The main reason for the decision was the withdrawal of a letter of guarantee for the allocation of a legal address by its owner. In reality, the proprietor of the premises was threatened by the city authorities.

19.06.2009 Right-wing Alliance registered

Minsk Tsentralny Executive Committee has granted state registration to the Right-wing Alliance as a non-profit information organization, says the NGO’s leader Yury Karetnikau. Their objectives include promoting political concepts and national ideas, non-profit publishing and tourist activities, as well as the propaganda of healthy life-style. ‘We are going to do what we have been doing before, but at the legal level. We also intend to open local offices in 25 Belarusian cities and towns,’ said Mr.Karetnikau. In 2004 Yury Karetnikau together with his associates tried to register Right-wing Alliance as a non-government organization. However, the authorities refused to do so, Mr.Karetnikau himself having been fired by his employer.

18.06.2009 Andżelika Borys’ associates not allowed to take part in Union of Poles’ congress

Some 100 members of the Union of Poles in Belarus, with Andżelika Borys at head, were not allowed to take part in the congress of the national minority organization on 12 June in Hrodna. As a result, the activists addressed President Lukashenka with a demand to facilitate the dialogue between the authorities and the Union, which is not recognized by the regime.

16.06.2009 Nasha Viasna to appeal decision by Ministry of Justice

On 16 January the co-founders of the Nasha Viasna human right association Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich have lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court of Belarus against the decision by the Ministry of Justice to deny registration to the NGO. The complaint stresses that the decision was not legal; the arguments of the Ministry were discriminatory – they violate the rights and the legitimate interests of Nasha Viasna’s founders.

16.06.2009 Justice ministry denies registration to Party of Freedom and Progress

The justice ministry has denied state registration to the Party of Freedom and Progress (PFP).

The minutes of the nomination meetings for the PFP founding conference show that representation requirements for the conference were violated on many occasions, the justice ministry says in its reply to the registration application.

Despite the ministry's repeated inquiries, the PFP founding committee failed to submit all necessary minutes, the reply says.

In addition, a spot check of the list of the PFP's alleged founders established that many people had been misled into signing it, the ministry says. Many did not take part in nomination meetings or never put their signatures in support of the party's founding, the ministry says.

12.06.2009 Observatory for Protection of Human Rights Defenders urges Belarusian authorities to re-register 'Viasna' and stop harassment of human rights defeners

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture

11.06.2009 Belarusian Christian Democracy appeals against registration denial

The Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) party has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the denial of state registration by the justice ministry.

10.06.2009 Activists of ‘European Belarus’ get detained for action of solidarity with Mikalai Autukhovich

European Belarus activists were detained for holding an action of solidarity with political prisoners.

09.06.2009 Hrodna: Andrei Pachobut warned by prosecutor

The member of the disgraced Union of Poles in Belarus Andrei Pachobut was summoned to Hrodna oblast prosecutor's office and read an official warning about inadmissibility of violations of the Belarusian legislation. Pachobut was warned that he had no right to introduce himself as the chairman of the Main Council of the Union of Poles in Belarus and was prohibited to use the UPB symbols.

05.06.2009 Human rights organization ‘Brest Viasna’ is denied registration as well

Brest oblast executive committee again refused to register the human rights organization Brest Viasna.

04.06.2009 Östgruppen joins the campaign for abolishment of Article 193.1

Members of the Swedish human rights initiative Östgruppen stated their support to the campaign for abolishment of Article 193.1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus that provides criminal punishment for participation in unregistered organization. The campaign has been launched by the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs.

04.06.2009 Human rights defenders cannot be prohibited to implement their duties

On 3June in Minsk there was held the joint press-conference of the founders of the CHRA Nasha Viasna and the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs dedicated to non-registration of both associations by the Ministry of Justice.

04.06.2009 Supreme Court does not grant the lawsuit of the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs against the Ministry of Justice

The head of the human rights association Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak informed the BelaPAN that the Supreme Court did not grant the lawsuit of the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs against the Ministry of Justice that had refused to give the official registration to the civil association.

03.06.2009 Systematic registration denials to ‘Nasha Viasna’ witness about the non-readiness of the Belarusian authorities to democratic transformations in the country

On 25 May 2009 the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus ruled to deny the state registration to the civil human rights association Nasha Viasna.