On the comments of the MFA press-secretary regarding the lease of the BHC office :: Charter'97 :: News

Concerning the public statements of the press-secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus A. Popov on the problems of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) with renting the office premises, ВHC informs that by the day when the administrative service of the President of Belarus decided on termination of the lease for the BHC office, the Committee was free of debts. Furthermore, when the payment papers were checked by the tenant and the presidential administrative service together, it turned out that BHC, on the contrary, paid in advance.

Deviations from the schedule of the rental payments (paying later or in advance), and of payments of utilities and maintenance costs (around 170 Euros monthly) were in the contract framework and were caused by the circumstances in which BHC has to work: its the bank accounts are frozen since 2004 because of the taxes and fines that were imposed on BHC by the Ministry of Taxes and Dues for the activities under the TACIS Program (the EU technical assistance to the CIS). On the same grounds the property of BHC was confiscated, and the Ministry of Justice petitioned the Supreme Court so as to suspend the activities of the human rights organization.

Taking into account the strict provisions of the legislation regarding the “legal address” BHC, when it received the information on the forthcoming termination of the rental contract, requested administrative service of the President to prolong the contract much in advance, which the head of the department of buildings in republican property Alena Malaya refused.

Only after a strong protest by the European Union, United States and international human rights groups against the eviction of the Helsinki Committee the administrative service of the President changed its decision and prolonged the lease.

The BHC expects the Ministry of Justice to withdraw its suit on suspension of the activities of the human rights organization from the Supreme Court and that the confiscated property of BHC will be returned.

BHC PRESS SERVICE