Supreme Court Protracts Time

The human rights activists Ales Bialiatski, Uladzimir Labkovich and Valiantsin Stefanovich received letters from the Supreme Court, signed by judge S.Yakhnavets. There it was stated that on 26 September the appeal against the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to register the public association Human Rights Center Viasna was considered, but no decision was taken as the document confirming the powers of the applicants was attached. That’s why the applicants were to correct the situation till 5 October.

Ales Bialiatski commented: ‘The reasons for which the Ministry of Justice refused to register the NGO are wire-drawn and contradict to the present legislation. We also have the decision of the UN Committee on Human Rights that during the liquidation of the Human Rights Center Viasna the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights was violated. The committee called on the Belarusian authorities to take measures for correction of this situation. We think that the fact of registration could become a step for restoration of the violated right to association. The authorities evidently understand it all, but they don’t need human rights activists and seek pretexts and protract the time, thus demonstrating their weakness.’