A/HRC/4/16 page 8 18. In October 2006, the rector of the Brest State University, Miachyslau Chasnouski, refused to inform the correspondent of the independent newspaper Brestskiy kurier about the increase of the education fees. The Baranavichy housing company refused to answer a written inquiry from non-State newspaper Index-press on the grounds that the company cooperated only with State publications. 19. Several months before the 2006 presidential election, 14 pro-opposition and independent newspapers including Narodnaya Volya and Nasha Niva, were denied distribution services by the national postal service (Belposhta) and by the State monopoly, Belsayuzdruk, which operates the only chain of news-stands and newspaper kiosks in Belarus. As of November 2006, only three non-State newspapers reportedly had access to the nationwide distribution system. Fearing problems with authorities, printing houses often refuse to print independent newspapers and magazines, or censor them. On 16 November 2006, the Belarusian Ministry of Information issued an official warning to Nasha Niva as the newspaper had failed to comply with the provisions of the Belarusian Law on the Press and Other Mass Media to communicate the address of its editorial offices. The only Belarusian-language independent newspaper has been facing enormous difficulties and had to change its legal addresses for the fourth time in 2006; as soon as the newspaper had moved to the new premises and communicated the new address to the Information Ministry and the Justice Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee, the landlords hasted to revoke the lease. 20. Accredited Moscow journalists of the newspapers Moskovskiy Komsomolets and Kommersant were not allowed by the authorities to cover the work of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit that took place on 28 November in Minsk. It is believed that this was in retaliation for an article critical of relatives of President Lukashenka published in Moskovskiy Komsomolets. Freedom of assembly and association and the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs 21. These rights are protected under article 36 of the Constitution. However, the law “On mass events” restricts the organization of demonstrations and allows the repression of unauthorized private meeting. Several administrative requirements also hamper the exercise of freedom of association. All NGOs and associations, including human rights organizations and trade unions must register, and receive official approval to operate. Organizations can be closed down after receiving two successive “warnings” from the authorities for the breach of even minor administrative rules. Law No. 213-3 of 26 June 2003 allows the courts to close down an organization for one single violation of the legislation on public meetings. For instance, in 2003, courts issued 810 written warnings to NGOs and 51 NGOs were shut down at the initiative of the Ministry of Justice. 22. In this regard, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), the only remaining registered human rights NGO, has reportedly been the main target of the authorities. Charges were brought against BHC for financial reasons and on the basis of foreign funding. In 2004, the Minsk Economic Court confirmed that the activities carried out by BHC were lawful and complied with all the regulations and procedures: the BHC projects, supported by the European Commission, were approved by the Government and registered with the Economics Ministry. However,