Justice Ministry Liquidates “Women’s Answer” and “Kassiopeya”

On September it became known that the board of public associations at the Ministry of Justice has almost simultaneously sued for liquidation of the republican public association ?#152;Women’s Answer” and the public association “Belarusian Fund “Kassiopeya”.

Among the reasons for liquidation of the republican public association “Women’s Answer” the Justice Ministry mentioned that the association office wasn’t situated in the place of the juridical address and that its seal differed from its adopted model.

“We didn’t expect the liquidation case, as on 20 May we took our corrected documents from the ministry, registered new juridical address and solved the problems with the seal and the blank. Such official actions against NGOs can be connected to preparation either to a referendum or to the Parliamentary election, but the reason for liquidation of all organizations that maintain any kind of activity is doubtlessly political”, -- said Sviatlana Karaliova, Head of the RPA “Women’s Answer”.

The only pretension the RPA admits legal is that the firm that made the seal for it made a mistake when copying the seal from the adopted model. All other ones, according to Sviatlana Karaliova, are incomprehensible and groundless. Neither understands them the judge who is to consider the case against “Women’s Answer”.

Among the pretensions of the Justice Ministry to the public association “Belarusian Fund “Kassiopeya” are that the symbols on the seal differ from the registered, the juridical address of the organization is the flat of a member of the association and the standards for blanc requisites are violated. The ministry mentioned also cooperation with unregistered organizations and other violations of the Electoral Code of Belarus.

“When we read about cooperation with unregistered associations, we thought they meant the Assembly of NGOs of Belarus, but it is just gathering of associations which are the same juridical persons as we are. If they mean our participation in the women’s Forum, it is a collective measure and our participation in it contradicts neither to our Statute nor the present legislation. We can’t understand at all, how we could violate the Electoral legislation. We didn’t nominate any members of electoral commissions, observers or candidates to deputy positions. The fact that we weren’t given even a month for correction of the violations witnesses that the Supreme Court will rule to liquidate our association. All actions of the official bodies witness that the liquidation case is political. It is connected not with concrete violations, but with the names of the founders: Sviatskaya, Siamdzianava, Bakach, Lawrowskaya. The authorities obviously clear up the NGO field, preparing to some new campaign”, -- said Valiantsina Sviatskaya, Head of the PA “Belarusian Fund “Kassiopeya”.

Press service of Assembly of NGOs