Ministry of Justice Gives Second Warning to Union of Belarusian Writers

The reason for the warning is formal:

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus was informed by Brest Leninski Borough Inspection of the Ministry of Dues and Taxes that since June Brest regional branch of the public association “Union of Belarusian Writers” hasn’t provided the inspection with the monthly accountancy, thusly violating point 1b of article #8 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “About accountancy”. Due to such circumstances and being guided by article #28 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “About public associations” the ministry issues written warning to the public association “Union of Belarusian Writers”.

The first warning to the Union of Belarusian Writers was issued in June 2004 for three reasons:

1. “Pahonia” emblem on the shield of the office of the union. (“Pahonia” is Belarusian historical emblem that was restored after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and then again abolished during Lukashenka’s rule);
2. Absence of quotation marks at the seal of the organization;
3. the organization had foreign members (those, who entered it in the times of the Soviet Union and after the dissolution lived in Russia).

These actions of the Ministry of Justice are of evident political nature, being a massacre of the independent creative organization. The authorities are eager to establish an obedient organization of writers on the basis of Minsk city organization of the National Unitarian enterprise “Literature and Art” that was established as a result of amalgamation and state-ization of a number of Belarusian-language magazines.