Repressions against BCD founders
On 12 December 2015 the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party held a technical Constituent Congress in Minsk in order to check if during the period of suspended sanctions by the USA and EU the regime of Lukashenka will show the capacity for real changes in Belarus.
The Ministry of Justice used this time the same tactics as in previous five cases with the BCD registration. The data of the founders (name, personal address and name and address of the employer) is used by the security services and ideology departments in order to harass the new signatories of the BCD founding documents and force at least some of them to call back their signatures.
In Mahileu and Vitsebsk the BCD founders suffer from the pressure by the authorities. In particular, Mrs. Lubou Paliakova and Mrs. Valiantsina Skamarokhava from Vitsebsk both working pensioners, who are employed by state education institutions, were called to “talks” by their employers in order to intimidate them and make them deny their status as BCD founders.
On 27 January 2016 the BCD received the note from the Ministry of Justice that the process of registration is suspended as some of the needed documents are missing. It is obvious that the regime, which awaits the visa restrictions on governmental officials to be lifted, direly needs to buy some time, to “freeze” the situation with BCD registration. The decision is postponed towards February, the time when the EU is going to make their decision considering the sanctions on Belarusian officials.
Belarusian Christian Democracy declares: hindering the process and “registration cessation” are illegal. The Ministry of Justice is obliged by the law to make its decision in the space of a month after application of the party registration documents, which means now. There are no legal reasons to postpone or to “cease” the registration of BCD.
The BCD calls its colleagues in sister parties and partner organisations to show solidarity with the democratic movement in Belarus and use all opportunities to resolutely forward the Belarusian authorities to democratic changes and reforms!
