“CIVIC INITIATIVES” TRIAL POSTPONED

On 23 May the hearings on the case of liquidation of Homel resource center “Civic Initiatives” was suspended to 9 June.
On 23 May Viktar Karniyenka, head of the NGO, his deputy Uladzimir Katsora and the NGO lawyer represented the organization in court. Viasna members Uladzimir Labkovich and Yury Chavusaw, and member of Independent Society of Research of Law Alesia Vydruk participated in the trial as public representatives.
Uladzimir Labkovich comments: “In the beginning of the proceedings representatives of the Justice Department asked to suspend the case “by consent of the parties” under Art 161 of the Code of Civic Procedures. We refused, because we think the hearing had to start immediately. In our opinion, the Department of Justice delays the trial on purpose, because on May 26 OSCE representatives are to visit Homel. In conjunction with that the Justice Department tries to delay the hearing for an ostensible reason of having to wait for the reply of the Ministry on the warning they issued to the NGO. The reason is far-fetched. However, the judge postponed the hearing under Art 159 of the Code of Civic Procedures”.