Authorities Prolong Rent Agreement to Frantsysk Skaryna Association of Belarusian Language

On 9 March Minsk City Executive Committee decided to prolong the rent of the building in Rumiantsaw Street, 13 to Frantsysk Skaryna Association of Belarusian Language and filed a letter to the ABL secretariat that read: “Your letter to the head of the administration of president of the Republic of Belarus U.R. Latupaw was considered at Minsk City Real Estate Center. It was decided to prolong the rent agreement to 4 February 2005”.

In his interview to RFE/RL the head of the ABL Aleh Trusaw thusly commented on the decision of the authorities:

“Having received this paper, the ABL members are very satisfied that the two-month struggle for the office was not in vain. Firstly, we are grateful to our journalists who controlled this issue. Secondly, we are grateful to the diplomats of foreign embassies and missions who also directed the appropriate inquiries to the authorities. Our main gratitude is to the thousands of citizens who sent their letters to Minsk major Pawlaw and vice-speaker Drazhyn, asking to leave us the building.”

We should remind that on 12 January Minsk Partyzanski Borough Administration, on the territory of which the ABL office is situated, informed the organization that the rent of the building in Rumiantsaw Street, 13 would be stopped on 3 March without providing ABL without any other building. Then the ABL members started a protest campaign that was upheld by more than 10 000 citizens who sent their letters to the authorities. As a result of these joint efforts the rent agreement was at first prolonged till the end of March and then – till 4 February 2005.

(Based on information of RFE/RL)