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"Tell the Truth!" campaign will go on, leader promises

The "Tell the Truth!" campaign will go on no matter what happens to the organization that has been carrying it out, Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, leader of Rukh Naperad (Movement Forward), said in an interview with BelaPAN.

The Minsk City Economic Court on Thursday declared null and void an office lease contract between Rukh Naperad and the landlord, OOO Tina Vlati, a ruling that puts the organization under the threat of liquidation.

The ruling was made by Judge Andrey Alyashkevich, who turned down the Minsk city authorities' suit seeking the organization's liquidation on July 7.

Mr. Nyaklyayew said that he was baffled by the judge's rulings. "First he finds that Rukh Naperad is working in compliance with laws, that all registration documents are correct. And then after a while he makes the opposite decision based on the same documents," he said.

"There are dozens, hundreds of instances of judges, officials changing their mind under pressure from higher authorities every day. A process of society's moral degradation is underway and I have entered politics to try to prevent it," said Mr. Nyaklyayew, a prominent poet.

"The authorities are doing everything to stop our activities. The abolition of [the organization's] registration will make them illegal and subject to criminal prosecution," he said.

The organization plans to appeal the latest ruling to a higher court. If it is closed down, its members will consider registering a new organization, according to Mr. Nyaklyayew.

Dozens of "Tell the Truth" activists had their homes and offices raided by police across Belarus on May 18 in what was described by some as the beginning of a massive crackdown on the campaign. Three people, including leader Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, were detained for three days after the raids and declared suspects in a criminal case involving a printing company.