Polish House in Ivianets was confiscated from Union of Poles in Belarus

The Polish House in Ivianets will stay the property of the pro-regime Union of Poles in Belarus. The appropriate ruling of the Valozhyn district court has been upheld by the Minsk oblast court.

11 March the cassation appeal was studied by the College Board for civil cases. Dozens of activists of the Union of Poles which is not recognized by the Belarusian authorities were in the courtroom. As noted by RFE/RL, many had arrived from Hrodna in order to support Tereza Sobal, director of the Polish House in Ivianets.

The complaint against Tereza Sobal was lodged by the pro-regime Union of Poles headed by Stanilsau Siamashka. The ruling of Valozhyn court was the following: Sobal is to leave ‘unwarrantedly appropriated’ premises. Though at the moment of the trial the Polish House was sealed, and no one could access the building, neither Tereza Sobal nor her supporters.

The representatives of the pro-regime UPB elected Stanislau Buracheuski (Stanislau Buracheuski) as their new leader in Ivianets. At the same time another meeting took place, where participants confirmed authorities of Tereza Sobal, who supports the independent unregistered Union of Poles headed by Anzhalika Borys.

It should be noted that for the first time police were not detaining activists of the Union of Poles headed by Anzhalika Borys on their way to the court.

Bear in mind that recently repressions against the Union of Poles have intensified. On 17 February, the Polish Sejm adopted a resolution condemning actions of Minsk in relations to the Polish minority in Belarus. The resolution includes recommendations to consider return to the policy of sanctions against the Belarusian government.