BHC Liquidation Case Suspended

23.09.2004.

The Supreme Court sent liquidation suit against Belarusian Helsinki Committee back to Justice Ministry for revision. The Ministry officials have got two weeks for revision of their suit to BHC. BHC members consider that the evidence that the claims of the registering body are groundless.
The Supreme Court decided the claim was written improperly. Supreme Court’s press-secretary Valantsin Barysevich confirmed the fact that the Ministry had two weeks for revision of the claim.
One week ago the Ministry of Justice applied to the Supreme Court with the request to close down Belarusian Helsinki Committee for alleged “violation of the Constitution, the Law on non-governmental organizations, and its own statute”. The Ministry experts say BHC committed the violations when it urged the citizens to say “no” to the Referendum.
BHC says the Ministry’s claims are groundless. BHC chair Tatsiana Protska thinks the authorities will continue to persecute the organization: “It will be difficult to close down our NGO. That’s why the Supreme Court wants to maximally keep the resemblance to the law”.