Belarusian Ministry Denies Registration To Milinkevich-led Movement

Belarus's Justice Ministry has refused to register the Movement for Freedom led by former opposition presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service and Belapan reported on July 21. The ministry cited flaws in the movement's charter as the grounds for its decision. The Movement for Freedom was established at a congress in Hrodna in May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," May 21, 2007). The primary goals of the movement are building civil society in Belarus, ensuring the country's independence, and staging fully democratic elections. Movement for Freedom Deputy Chairman Viktar Karnyayenka told RFE/RL that the denial of registration comes as no surprise for the organization. "This decision falls within the general [official] trend of suppressing various civic actions and terminating the activities of all legal structures in the country apart from those controlled by the authorities. We will continue both our registration efforts and our activities, which are not dependent on our registration," Karnyayenka said.