New wave of warnings under Article 193.1

In April three civil activists received warnings from the prosecutor’s office due to their acting on behalf of a non-registered organization.

Let us recall that such activity is considered a crime under Article 193.1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. This article stipulates penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment of up to two years. During the period of 2006-2008, 18 members of unregistered associations were charged under Article 193.1, the Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs of Belarus reports.

Assembly of NGOs’ lawyer Yury Chavusau commented on the situation:

“In April, the practice of issuing warnings under Article 193.1 enhanced. Since 2008, there have been no new criminal convictions for acting on behalf of unregistered organizations. Yet, this warning mechanism is an effective tool in the hands of the authorities, helping them to limit the activities of unregistered associations. In recent years, Article 193.1 was used mainly against members of unregistered religious groups. Last April the prosecutor’s office devoted special attention to unregistered political and human rights organizations.”

On April 18, Alexander Kuzmin, the civil campaign “Tell the Truth” activist from Belaaziorsk, received a warning from the Biaroza district prosecutor’s office regarding his “Tell the Truth” activities. Alexander Kuzmin believes that his activities connected to the privatization of flats in one of the Belaaziorsk houses became the main reason of the prosecutor’s office sending him the warning. The activist intends to appeal against the warning issuance in the Brest region prosecutor’s office.

On April 23, Tamara Siarhei, lawyer and human rights activist, member of the public initiative “Against lawlessness in courts and prosecutor’s office”, received an official warning  from the General Prosecutor’s Office stressing the inadmissibility of law violation under Article 193.1 of the Criminal Code. Tamara Siarhei connects the warning issuance to the attempt of  ”Against lawlessness in courts and prosecutor’s office” activists to pass on April, 9 a petition to Alexander Lukashenka urging him to consider the complaint, which has been neglected by the local officials and judges for many years. The activist intends to appeal against the warning issuance.

Aleh Aksionau, the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Steering Committee’s member from Mahilou received the second warning for acting on behalf of the unregistered organizations. On April, 29 he was called to the local KGB office for a conversation. KGB investigator, Mr. Mahunou, told Aleh Aksionau that the reason for issuing a warning was Aleh’s participation in the Election observation campaign “For Fair Elections” and his work in the non-registered Mahilou regional coalition of democratic forces.