On June 25 the final court hearing took place in the suit brought by the Minister of Justice of the Belarus Republic, Mr. G.N. Vorontsov, to liquidate the student association CARP. The suit had accused the student association of conducting activities aimed at violently changing the constitutional order and kindling national, religious and racial hatred, while violating the regulations contained in Article 3 of the Belarus Republic law "On Public Associations."

The trial which a Belarus business newspaper called "unprecedented" started June 18 in the Supreme Court of the Belarus Republic. An expert conclusion submitted to the court by Belarus State University, Journalist Department graduate Ms. Galina Ruzova stated that while being a part of the Unification Movement of Rev. Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, and while delivering lectures on "Pure Love," CARP contributed to a cholera epidemic and damaged the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Belarus people and the republic's budget.

During the trial the CARP representative submitted to the court more than 50 letters of gratitude which the student association had received for its campaign to prevent AIDS and drug abuse, its charity work with orphanages and boarding schools, and its lectures given on campuses and in dormitories about preparing for family life.

During the final hearings the Ministry of Justice withdrew its suit completely, accepting that the activities of the student association CARP are entirely lawful. After the court's decision Nadezhda Dudareva, a associate of OSCE-Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe-said that the case set a precedent, because until now the Ministry of Justice of the Belarus Republic has never withdrawn a demand to shut down a public organization.

For more information, contact: Konstantin Krylov Tel/fax: 7-095-234-3292.

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