Supreme Court upholds registration denial to Belarusian branch of international human rights group

The Supreme Court of Belarus has dismissed an appeal filed by founders of a Belarusian branch of the Ukrainian-based International Helsinki Association for Human Rights against the denial of registration by the justice ministry.

The Court pronounced the judgment on May 26.

The founders filed the registration application this past February. The justice ministry issued the denial on March 24.

The ministry`s press office said in a statement on Thursday that the founders included only Belarusian nationals in breach of Belarus’ Non-governmental Organizations Law stipulating that an international non-governmental organization`s Belarusian branch should have at least 10 Belarusian founders and at least three founders representing each of several foreign countries or one foreign state.