14 October 2002
New organization in Brest succeeds closed center Vezha

 A new non-governmental organization (NGO), the Regional Development Foundation "Nasha Vezha", has been established in Brest as a successor to the Brest Regional Civic Initiative Support Center "Vezha" closed down by the regional court in April.
Vezha was the Brest region's largest and most influential NGO, which supported most of other local organizations. In 2001, burglars emptied Vezha's office of all equipment and computer files. Angered by Vezha's support for the domestic observer network, the regional Justice Department issued two warnings to Vezha shortly after the September 2001 Presidential Election. The department accused Vezha of acting outside its charter by conducting a public opinion poll on the eve of the
election. The second warning was issued for allegedly incorrect use
of words and titles in Vezha's documents and stamps. The Brest Regional Court and the Supreme Court upheld both warnings and ordered the organization closed. After the closure, Vezha activists registered the Regional Development Foundation "Nasha Vezha."
The organization will support projects in the area of education, culture, science, healthcare, law, market-oriented economy, media and international exchanges, the foundation's head, Inna Kulei, told BelaPAN.