“Viasna” Liquidation Will Finish on 28 October (Tuesday)

24.10.2003.

On 24 October the Supreme Court of Belarus continued the consideration of the civil case about liquidation of the Public association “Human Rights Center “Viasna”, initiated on the suit of the Ministry of Justice.

On that day the court listened to witnesses from Homel, Brest and Vitsebsk regions who witnessed the authenticity of their signatures in the documents, submitted to the Ministry of Justice in 1999 for registration of the public association. The Ministry of Justice doubted this authenticity, which was mentioned in the suit, and considered it the main reason to liquidate Human Rights Center “Viasna”. So, the witnesses, summoned to the court hearings of 23 and 24 October and warned about criminal responsibility for false testimony, confirmed the authenticity of their signatures.

The representative of the Justice Ministry Neanila Fishkina solicited for attachment of the Xerox copies from the newspaper photos of the unauthorized action near the Ministry of Justice, held in the end of September by representatives of different organizations that either had been closed or were in the danger of closing (representatives of “Human Rights Center “Viasna” were among them). We should remind that earlier N. Fishkina asked to attach to the case materials the report about the unauthorized picket, composed by the Ministry watchman (!!!). It caused surprise, as such acts are judicially invalid, which any worker of the ministry is to know as well as the fact that the Xerox copies can have no relation to the case. Judge Valiantsina Kulik refused to attach the Xerox copies to the case. Neither did she attach the letters in support of Human Rights Center “Viasna”, sent by citizens of Belarus and influential international human rights organizations. The human rights activists asked her to attach these letters to the case as the materials that characterized the organization and its activity.

The case consideration will continue at 10 a.m. on 28 October. On that day the court debates will take place, representatives of the plaintiffs, the defendants and the prosecutor will speak and Judge is expected to pronounce her verdict on the case.