Supreme Court refused to consider complaint against denial to register Mikalai Statkevich’s initiative group

The Supreme Court of Belarus has refused to review the complaint against the denial to register the initiative group for Mikalai Statkevich’s nomination as a presidential candidate.

BelaPAN has been informed about that by the wife of the politician, Maryna Adamovich, who is the head of the initiative group.

On July 24 they talked on the phone with the judge assistant Valyantsina Kulik. “The judge assistant told me that a letter with a denial is to be sent, and I will learn everything from it, however I managed to make him give me information that the complaint won’t be considered,” Adamovich said.

She noted that before the official answer is received, she cannot say what the reasons for denial of the complaint consideration are. “I can only guess why they have denied. I think they use any opportunity to prevent me and everyone who had joined Mikalai’s initiative group from receiving a tribune,” Adamovich said.

We remind that at the session on July 20 the Central Election Committee denied registration to the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich. The Secretary of the CEC Mikalai Lazavik, commenting on the decision of the CEC, said: “I think that the group of Statkevich understands fairly well, that there are no and could not be any legal claims from them. But I understand that it is a political movement, and a political movement is not always guided by the law. They are promoting, pushing through their political idea, it is more important for them than the elections as such. They know that we have acted in full conformity with the electoral laws.”

On July 22 Adamovich filed a complaint to the Supreme Court. She informed that the decision to appeal against the actions of the Central Election Commission had been made by her during the session of the CEC. “We believe, and I think that we reasonably believe, that by the denial to register the initiative group, rights of 1,700 citizens, members of the initiative group, have been violated,” the wife of the politician said.

Mikalai Statkevich was a candidate in the previous presidential election, in May 2011 he was sentenced to 6 years of deprivation of freedom in a penal colony with a reinforced regime on charges related organizing mass riots on December 19, 2010. He is to be released in December 2016. International organisations have recognized Statkevich a political prisoner.