District Organization of Belarusian People’s Front and District Unit Free Trade Union of Entrepreneurs Liquidated in Smarhon

The decision to liquidate these organizations was taken by Smarhon District Executive Committee. According to the local activist Ales Dzerhachou, these were the last independent democratic structures in the town.

According to RFE/RL, the formal reason for the liquidation was the absence of juridical address. On the New Year eve the private entrepreneur Raman Ulan, in whose building the juridical addresses of the public organizations were situated, refused to prolong the rent agreement with them. Almost immediately after this the organizations received letters from Smarhon DEC, informing them they had to find a new juridical address within a month’s term for the fear of liquidation.

Ales Dzerhachou even applied to the vice-chair of the executive committee with the request to help in finding the room they could rent, but didn’t find anything suitable.