Justice Minisrty denied registration to pensioners’ association

The Justice Ministry of Belarus denied registration to the public association of Belarusian pensioners “Our generation” because of the alleged “established facts of rigging presented documents”.

“After studying documents on state registration of the public association of Belarusian pensioners “Our Generation” it has been found that a number of persons on the list of founders which were allegedly present at the foundation conference of the association, were not present there in reality,” the ministry noted.

Besides, it was stated that “the makeup of the founders of the association didn’t meet the requirements of the “Law on public associations” to the republican public associations”.

Basing on the abovementioned facts, the Justice Ministry denied state registration to the association of Belarusian pensioners. The registration of the youth public association “Betel” (Vitsebsk), a republican charity “Kovcheg” have been denied registration on the same reasons, the ministry stated.

They noted that the law guarantees the right of founders of a public association to challenge the denial of registration in court. In some cases initiators of creation of public associations used that right.

“However all decisions of registering organs were found valid by the court,” the Justice Ministry underlined.

The leader of the public association of Belarusian pensioners “Our Generation” Tatsyana Zyalko believes this statement is absolutely untrue.

“Right on the next day after the resolution of the European Parliament on Belarus was adopted, and visa sanctions against some Belarusian politicians lifted for half a year, including Justice Minister Viktar Halavanau and the head of the public associations’ department of the Ministry Aleh Slizheuski, the Justice Ministry once again denied registering the pubic association of pensioners. This time it was “our Generation”.

The reasons for denial were not serious,” she said at the session of the executive committee of the European union of pensioners in Berlin.

“As for our response to the actions of the Justice Ministry, this issue is to be solved in the near future at the board session. But we are set to fight till the end, and we are ready for the actions which are not expected by anyone,” Tatsyana Zyalko said.