Supreme Court does not grant the lawsuit of the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs against the Ministry of Justice

The head of the human rights association Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak informed the BelaPAN that the Supreme Court did not grant the lawsuit of the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs against the Ministry of Justice that had refused to give the official registration to the civil association.

On 9 April the founders of the organization received the official answer of the Ministry of Justice that the Assembly of Pro-democratic NGOs could not be registered, because, according to the opinion of the ministry, the constituent agreement about the establishment of the association was invalid as the heads of the member organizations had allegedly signed without the agreement of the governing organs of the organizations. The Ministry of Justice also stated that the name of the association did not meet the legal requirements as it did not indicate the subject of the members’ activities.

Another reason for registration denial was that the aims of the member organizations allegedly did not correspond to the charter aims of the established association.

The Supreme Court accepted the two first arguments, but ignored the last one. In any case, the decision of the Ministry of Justice was left in force and the lawsuit was turned down.