Mahiliou: court mocks at democratic activists

14.05.2008. Tags: administrative trials, actions, political parties, BSDP.
Source: RFE/RL.

Leninski district court of Mahiliou has turned down a complaint that had been filed by Alexander Irkho and Alexander Silkou, activists of the unregistered Freedom and Progress Party (FPP).

The activists accuse the chairman of Mahiliou city executive committee Viktar Shorykau of excess of the duty powers and violation of the law On mass actions in the Republic of Belarus. In her ruling the judge Halina Kuzhaleva called the arguments of the complaint’s authors ‘wire-drawn’.

Everything started on 7 March, when the activist filed to Shorykau an official petition for authorization of a meeting and procession dated to the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic. They still have received no answer, though all legal terms for answering expired long ago. Then they decided to sue the official.

The representative of the executive committee Ala Halushka stated that the plaintiffs’ pretentions were groundless and that the answers had been sent by mail and she did not know why they had not been received. Being asked why the executive committee had not sent the answers by registered may to ensure that the addresses would receive them, she answered that the state organ had no means for it. Besides, she referred to the law On mass actions in the Republic of Belarus, which does not describe the procedure of sending answers to applicants. Judge Halina Kuzhaleva supported her in the verdict and turned down the suit.

In the suit the plaintiffs asked the court to oblige the state organ to consider their address in conformity with the legal norms and answer to them according to the existing legal standards.

12 May the same judge turned down the suit of the activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Mikalai Rasiuk against the executive officer of the executive committee Ihar Auseyenka. Rasiuk believes that Auseyenka had exceeded their powers by prohibiting the meeting and procession dedicated to the anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic.