Ministry of Justice began winding up of communist party

Preliminary hearing of the suit of winding up the Party of Communist Belarusian (PCB) is to be held on 30 January in the Supreme Court of Belarus, Interfax learnt from the court. “Preliminary hearing of the case of PCB’s winding up is to be held on 30 January,” the source said to the agency.

He reminded that the suit demanding to wind up the Party of Communist Belarusian was filed to the Supreme Court by the Ministry of Justice of Belarus. The Supreme Court adopted a decision on suspension of activity of the PCB for 6 months. The PCB was prohibited to conduct any operation except for those aiming at elimination of violence, caused the suspension of activity of the party.

The Ministry of Justice thinks after 2 August 2007 the PKB conducted activity, prohibited by law for this period.

“In particular, it was cleared out, that PCB’s activity involved gathering of signatures, picketing, holding of other events, the PCB also signed an agreement on principals of participation in political campaign on election to the “house of representatives” of the “national assembly”, scheduled for autumn 2008. It was also said that the subjects, having signed the agreement, including the PCB, have already put forward candidates for parliamentary election,” the Ministry of Justice said.

Syargei Kalyakin, first secretary of the Central Committee of the PCB, said in his turn that he regarded the procedure of liquidation of the party as unlawful.

According to him, under law, a party must give the Ministry of Justice information about elimination of breaches 10 days before the term of suspension the activity expires. “This term hasn’t yet come, and the Ministry of Education made no inspections,” Kalyakin said.