News on the topic: freedom of association
01.04.2009 Workers of ‘Mastoudreu’ plant are threatened with dismissal for meetings with oppositionist
The headmaster of the largest enterprise of Masty district ‘Mastoudreu’ Siarhei Asosau threatened the workers that he would dismiss the department where if he saw there the activist of For Freedom movement, deputy of Masty district soviet of deputies Dzmitry Kukhlei there.
31.03.2009 Ales Bialiatski: ‘Currently, the Belarusian society is constrained by repressive legislation’
Shortly after the Nasha Viasna constituent congress on 29 March, the NGO’s Chair Ales Bialiatski commented on the underlying reasons for another attempt to obtain state registration. ‘In fact, there has been a continuous process: on the one hand, we have not appealed the refusal by the Ministry of Justice yet. On the other hand, we have held another constituent congress on 29 March to draw up one more application to the Ministry of Justice. The decision is closely connected to the extremely low amount of impartial considerations of similar refusals by the Supreme Court. One can count them on the fingers of one hand – the organizations that managed to protect their rights at the Supreme Court.
31.03.2009 Union of Poles addresses General Prosecutor’s Office
The Union of Poles in Belarus has addressed the General Prosecutor’s Office with an appeal to investigate into the facts of fomenting of national hatred by the BT state-owned TV channel. In its coverage of the 15 March Congress of the Union in Hrodna, the channel ‘insulted the dignity of the Union members, by saying that the Congress declared that ‘the Poles are a superior race’, which is not true.
31.03.2009 Nasha Viasna helds congress
On 29 March, the Belarusian Popular Front’s central office hosted another constituent congress of the Nasha Viasna human rights organization, attended by its 82 representatives from all over the country. As a result of the congress, the human rights activists voted for the formation of the NGO, its charter and the action program. They also elected the governing bodies of the organization, including its Board, Chairperson and the auditing committee.
27.03.2009 Supreme Court to entertain claim by Nasha Viasna
Today on 27 March the co-founders of the Nasha Viasna human rights organization received a letter from the Supreme Court of Belarus saying that the complaint against the unlawful refusal to register the NGO was received for consideration by the court. The session is due to start on 7 April. On 26 February the Ministry of Justice resolved to deny registration to Nasha Viasna. The cofounders of the organization stress that the decision was groundless and illegal. They also claim it is an evidence of systematic discrimination against the founders and the members of Nasha Viasna, as well as a sign of disrespect for the rights of Belarusian citizens.
24.03.2009 Minsk City Court ignores UN rulings
The civil panel of Minsk City Court have rejected the complaint lodged by Viktar Karneenka against the decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denying the Civil Initiatives movement its rights to legal activity. Thus, Minsk City Court has supported an earlier decision by Minsk Leninski Court, stating that Viktar Karneenka, as head of the Civil Initiatives, cannot be the legal chair of the organization after its liquidation in 2003.
20.03.2009 Nasha Viasna to keep striving for registration
The co-founders of the human rights organization Nasha Viasna have declared that they would continue their attempts to obtain the official status. They have arrived at a decision to hold another congress and once again apply for registration at the Ministry of Justice. On February 26 the NGO was denied registration due to ‘the violation of holding its constituent congress’. Therefore, Nasha Visna is now looking for premises to hold the meeting. However, the NGO is likely to face numerous refusals by state-owned enterprises.
17.03.2009 Journalist Andzej Poczobut fined
Hrodna Leninski Borough Court fined representative of the Polish minority in Belarus Andzej Poczobut BYR 525,000 for participating in an unauthorized meeting in front of the Dom polski on 17 January. The journalist says the verdict by judge Natallia Kozel is illegal since the rally was provoked by Josuf Lucznik, head of the pro-government Union of Poles.
13.03.2009 Supreme Court turns down lawsuit of ‘Horizontal’ NGO against Ministry of Justice
A founder of the organization Valer Ukhnaliou said to the BelaPAN that on 11 March the Supreme Court of Belarus turned down the lawsuit of the social-patriotic civil association (SPCA) Horizontal against the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to register it.
13.03.2009 Authorities refuse to register primary units of independent trade unions
The leaders of the Independent Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry stated that they would hold a series of protest actions on 3 April in different cities and towns of Belarus with the aim to draw public attention to non-registration of the primary units of trade unions by the authorities.
12.03.2009 Fantasies of the Ministry of Justice about ‘Nasha Viasna’
On 11 March the press-release On denial of the state registration to the Civil human rights association ‘Nasha Viasna’ appeared on the web-site of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus. We, human rights defenders, cannot leave this information without notice.
09.03.2009 Human rights civil association ‘Brestskaya Viasna’ is denied registration again
The fourth attempt to register the human rights organization in Brest oblast was unsuccessful. The main justice department of Brest oblast executive committee refused to register the civil human rights association Brestskaya Viasna.
09.03.2009 Assembly of pro-democratic NGOs calls the authorities to stop the abuse of the law On counteraction to extremism
On 6-7 March the 6th assembly of pro-democratic NGOs of Belarus was held at the international educational center (IBB) in Minsk. The aim of the forum was to analyze the situation in the third sector, the juridical situation of NGOs and elaborate and adopt the strategy of the Assembly’s activities for the near future.
04.03.2009 Valiantsin Stefanovich: no one can prohibit human rights activities to me
Lawyer Valiantsin Stefanovich, one of the founders of the civil human rights association Nasha Viasna, gave the following commentary concerning the registration denial:
04.03.2009 Provocation against Anzhalika Borys
Fake obscene photos were planted to mail boxes of Anzhalika Borys' neighbors. They appeared in the mailboxes of the block of flats where the chairperson of the officially unrecognized Union of Poles in Belarus lives on 3 March. Anzhalika Borys was depicted on the picture edited in Photoshop.
