Supreme Court hearing Belarusian Popular Front’s appeal against cell relocation warning :: Charter'97 :: News

The Supreme Court of Belarus on April 12 started hearing an appeal filed by the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF) against the justice ministry’s warning.

The party received the warning for its failure to meet the February 1 deadline for relocating its chapters from residential to office buildings.

The justice ministry based its cell relocation requirement on the Housing Code that took effect in 1999.
None of the country’s parties managed to fulfill the requirement.

Vladimir Labkovich, a BPF legal expert, told BelaPAN that the justice ministry itself violated the Housing Code in the period until 2004. After its enactment in 1999, the ministry’s departments continued registering party cells at residential buildings, he said.

However, the expert was pessimistic about the court decision. "Belarus’ justice system is not independent," he said, adding that the ruling would apparently be in favor of the authorities.

"They have been set the task of liquidating party cells and they now try to fulfill it," he added.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its judgment on Wednesday.

The Belarusian Party of Communists has lost its appeal against the ministry’s warning.