Supreme Court to hear liquidation lawsuit against Republican Party on August 8

July 22, BPN. The Supreme Court will hear on August 8 the justice ministry’s lawsuit to shut down the Republican Party, according to the court’s electronic schedule.

Registered in May 1994, the party declared its mission to “restore and create a strong, sovereign, humane, democratic state with sufficient degree of integration with the former Soviet Union republics and Western countries.” It advocated “strict compliance with human rights.”

The party has not been active in the last few years.

On July 20, the Supreme Court was scheduled to consider the liquidation of the nationalist Conservative Christian Party. The results of the hearing are unknown.

On July 24, it will consider closing the pro-government Belarusian Patriotic Party. On July 27 and 31, it will examine closure lawsuits against the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada and the Belarusian Green Party.

In late 2022, Alaksandar Łukašenka called for disbanding parties whose activities run counter to “the basic principles of internal and foreign policy.”

In February 2023, he signed a law requiring all parties to re-register based on more rigorous membership criteria.

The justice ministry has already re-registered the pro-government Communist Party of Belarus, Liberal Democratic Party, the Republican Party of Labor and Justice and Biełaja Ruś.

Opposition parties refused to identify their members for fear of political reprisals. The justice ministry has filed closure suits against the parties that failed to submit member lists.