On 21 February Ms. Sakalouskaya, a judge of the Supreme Court, ruled to liquidate the public association Belarusian Women’s Movement Adradzhenne Aichyny (Homeland’s Revival).
On 25 February Mahiliou Regional Department of Justice warned the women’s public association Liubava in Horki. (1-MAR-2005)
The official reasons for the liquidation of Adradzhenne Aichyny had been based on the inaccuracies in the recordkeeping and in the minutes of the organization’s governing board found by the Justice Ministry consultant A.Kharyton, as well as the failure to promptly provide information required by the Justice Ministry about the activities of the association.
Also, the court ruling argues that the organization has violated its own charter during the organization and conduct of the round table seminar Issues of Gender Balance in Contemporary Society in December of the last year, as well as when discussing the issues of education work with children at a sitting of the organization’s Board.
PA Belarusian Women’s Movement Adradzhennie Aichyny was founded in 1997. Its focuses on helping women implement their political, civil and social rights. The public association worked toward preventing trade in women, enhancing employment opportunity for women, voluntary and welfare assistance for the needy and disabled, as well as developing leadership qualities in Belarusian women and intensifying women’s public activity.
On 25 February Mahiliou Regional Department of Justice warned the women’s public association Liubava in Horki. Officials argue that the NGO has its seat in a residential high-rise and so have to find some other premises for their legal address.It´s worth mentioning that on 22 February the leaders of six oppostional parties met with the Deputy Justice Minister Aleh Krautsou to discuss the same problem. He agreed with their arguments and suggested the parties develop proposals on resolving the situation with the party structures and pass them over to the Justice Ministry. But the party representatives have little hope the authorities will stop pressure on them.
Liubava activists were surprised to receive such a demand because they have their legal address in a private house (rather than a residential high-rise) that has two separate exits. However, if the justice officials can prove their point (which cannot be ruled out in our court) the women’s NGO will have an almost unsolvable problem of finding a new place for their legal address, which is no easy task in such a small town as Horki.
Liubava was registered in 2001 and is one of the most prominent NGOs of the town. The NGO members are known in the town as organizers of various social actions for orphans and socially unprotected families. And now Liubava is threatened with liquidation, which will cause it to continue illegally.
