Supreme Court of Belarus Does Not Satisfy Complaint of Young Social Democrats

09.12.2003.

On 8 December the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus didn’t satisfy the complaint of the youth public association “Young Social Democrats” against the decision of the Ministry of Justice not to register it.

Judge Sakalowskaya and Prosecutor Artsiushenka supported the argument of the MJ representative Kirykava that the YSD violated the law by introduction of education of political culture and common human values among youth as one of its Statute aims. Neither court nor the prosecutor reacted to the violation of the law by the Ministry of Justice that was to have given the answer concerning registration of the organization three months before it actually did.

The consideration of the complaint lasted for three days. I should point out that all arguments of the defendant, the Ministry of Justice, sounded weak, to put it mild. Prosecutor Artsiushenka defeated most of the pretensions of the Ministry of Justice but left in force the accusation of violation of Articles 1 and 22 of the Law on public associations by the Young Social Democrats.

Judge Sakalowskaya completely agreed with the prosecutor who said he saw no possibility to satisfy the complaint of the YSD and decided: “Young Social Democrats are denied in their complaint and now they cannot be registered in the legal order”.

Henadz Kesner (Radio “Liberty”)