“Viasna’s” property distrained, but they not expelled from office yet (Photo)

Officers of the court of Pershamajski district of Minsk have distrained property of “Viasna” human rights centre.

As one of the officers of the court informed, after taking inventory of the impounded property is made, the court is to decide which part of it belongs to Ales Byalyatski, Radio Svaboda informs.

None of the neighbours had agreed to become an attesting witness while the inventory of the property attached was made. The inventory had been made without witnesses for an hour until witnesses from the local housing management organisation appeared.

“The officers of the court distrained the property of Viasna center, but the office was not sealed,”Interfax-Zapad agency was informed by a human rights activist Tatsyana Ravyaka. She also added: “It is good that we can continue coming to the office and continue our work. The property is assessed at Br16 mln ($1930).”

“We had been warned in advance, that officers of the court are going to visit us, and to distrain property as defined in the framework of the criminal case of Ales Byalyatski,” T. Ravyaka noted. As said by her, “the officers of the court invited A. Byalyatski’s wife for her to be present during the procedure of the taking the inventory of the property.” T. Ravyaka specified that “there are tables, chairs, office equipment in the office – the property that is defined by the court in the framework of the criminal case against Ales Byalyatski.”

As informed by human rights activists, the flat in Independence Avenue where the headquarters of Viasna human rights centre, closed by the authorities, is situated, was bought in 2000. On the agreed decision of the council of the organisation, the flat was titled at a private person, Ales Byalyatski formalized his rights to it. Thanks to the fact that the office was a private property, “Viasna” had been able to work there for the last 11 years.

The human rights activist Ales Byalyatski was sentenced to 4.5 years in a colony with a reinforced regime with confiscation of property in November 2011. He was charged with evasion of taxes from foreign accounts. The money at that accounts were intended for human rights activities. By a number of European politicians and organisations Byalyatski was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.