BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/10/2007

Belarusian Opposition Leader Again Blocked From Registering His Movement

The Justice Ministry has turned down a second application for registration from the Movement for Freedom, an organization led by former opposition presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Belapan reported. The ministry explained that the organization's founding conference, which was held on the property of a children's summer camp in Minsk Oblast, violated a law governing mass events. "The law on mass events does not govern founding conferences for nongovernmental organizations and we did not have to apply for permission to authorities [to hold the conference]. There is no such practice," Yury Hubarevich from the Movement for Freedom told journalists. "Of course we will appeal this decision by the justice ministry to the Supreme Court. And we will continue applying for registration," he said, adding that the movement will send a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee if the Supreme Court upholds the registration denial. The justice ministry rejected the organization's first application for registration earlier this year, citing alleged flaws in the organization's charter. The Supreme Court upheld that decision last month (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 21, 2007). JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/10/3-cee/cee-251007.asp

Google