Supreme Court Considers BPF Suit against Justice Ministry

On 12 April there started the trial on the suit of Belarusian People’s Front against the Ministry of Justice that had issued a warning to BPF with the demand to liquidate the party structures that had been registered in flats. Uladzimir Labkovich, chair of the organizational-judicial commission of BPF and its member Iury Chavusau represented BPF at trial.

We should remind that the Ministry of Justice accuses BPF Party of having registered more than 80 organizational structures in flats, which according to the ministry is a violation of Article #8 of the Housing Code. In the article it is stated that private apartments can be used only for living. That’s why the ministry proposes to liquidate the organizational structures of BPF Party that were registered in private flats all over Belarus.

According to U. Labkovich, the organizational structures of the party have been registered and work in conformity with the present legislation. In their speeches the party members drew the arguments that proved the groundlessness of the ministry’s demands. The representative of the ministry Liudmila Kliachka couldn’t even answer a single question, which irritated even the judge of the Supreme Court Natallia Kulik. As a result the judge postponed the trial to 13 April so that the ministry representative could get ready to the trial.

Mr. Labkovich commented:
-- Though the court tries to show its independence, the experience of the trials shows that it is not independent and executes political orders on liquidation of organizational structures of political parties.