Cassation Board of the Supreme Economical Court turns down appeal of New Life Church

The lawyer of the church Siarhei Lukanin informed the BelaPAN that on 12 March the Cassation of Board of the Supreme Economical Court chaired by Ruslan Yumahuzhyn did not grant the complaints of Minsk church New Life of the Religious association of Full Evangel Christians in the Republic of Belarus against the verdict of Minsk city economical court.

According to Mr. Lukanin, in 2005-2006 Minsk city economical court was simultaneously trying two cases with participation of the religious community and Minsk city executive committee. Both cases were suspended in 2006 after a hunger-strike of the believers. After it the Supreme Economical Court accepted for consideration the argument between the church and Minsk authorities.

The Cassation Board of the Supreme Economical Court considered two complaints of the believers: against the verdict of the Economical Court of Minsk by which the religious community was forced to conclude the agreement for sale of the building in Kavaliou Street for 37 million rubles (22 thousand rubles for one square meter of floor space), and the refusal of Minsk city economical court to make Minsk city executive committee to agree to placement of the temple in the place of the former cowshed in Kavaliou Street, 72.

 Commenting on the results of the sitting, S.Lukanin stated that ‘the decisions were taken not in the court hall and it was not the court that took them.’

The lawyer reminded that since 18 October 2006 the Supreme Economical Court considered the movements of New Life Church for reversal of the ruling of Minsk city executive committee of 17 August 2005 according to which the believers were deprived of a piece of land and the building in Kavaliou Street, 72; on acknowledgement of the reconstructed cowshed as a temple and exaction of a compensation for the harm that was inflicted to the church by Minsk city executive committee. On 13 January 2009 the judge of the Supreme Economical Court Katsiaryna Karatkevich turned down the lawsuit of the believers referring to Articles 190, 201 and 204 of Economical-Process Code. This decision was also left in force by the cassation board of the Supreme Economical Court.

After receiving a copy of the motivation part of the verdict the believers intend to appeal against to the presidium of the Supreme Economical Court.