Human rights centre in Mahilyou faces closure

The main department of justice of the regional executive committee has issued an official warning to Maholyou human rights centre for absence of a legal address.

In September 2014 the main department of justice of the regional executive committee of Mahilyou regional executive committee sent an appeal to the regional court with a request to suspend activities of Mahilyou human rights centre for 3 months, as it had no legal address, BelaPAN informs.

On October 1 the leadership of MHRC stated that an agreement for receiving a legal address was signed.

On November 4 the court decided to dismiss the case, as the grounds for the case disappeared.

However, in the near future, after the legal address was granted to Mahilyou human rights watchdogs, the property-owner, a small businessman, broke the agreement with them, and Mahilyou human rights centre was left without a legal address again.

“A warning from the justice department means that a new suit will be filed to stop our activities,” the chairman of the board of the human rights centre Barys Bukhel said.

As said by him, the reason for termination of the contract was bringing pressure by the authorities on the wife of the landlord, who is a businessman as well. “The proprietor himself is not twisted arms, he is a strong man, but they have found a weak link – his wife,” Bukhel said.

The human rights activists from Mahilyou plan to challenge the official warning and are looking for a new place to get a legal address.