“ProjectorParisHilton” authors charged with violation of Criminal Code of Belarus (Video)

Representatives of the Belarusian TV state that jokes about Lukashenka in Russian TV program “ProjectorParisHilton” are offensive.

The First Channel (Russia) last Saturday aired the program “ProjectorParisHilton” which was shortened for a few minutes for demonstration in Belarus.

It turned out that in the removed fragment Ivan Urgant, Garik Martirosyan and Sergei Svetlakov, presenters of the program, discussed the news about lifting the ban for entering the EU countries for Lukashenka. The presenters were arguing where the Belarusian ruler should travel first. The variants that have been offered included Disneyland, beer festival Oktoberfest in Munich, and competition of Franco Gatti’s lookalikes (“Ricchi e Poveri” soloist who wears mustaches). They also connected lifting of the ban for entering the EU countries for Lukashenka with the divorce of Madonna and Guy Ritchie.

“There are rather many jokes about our president, for instance in the Club for the Lightheaded and Quick-witted. But the difference between jokes and “borderline” jokes, which can cause serious consequences,” “KP in Belarus” was explained by the press-service of the ONT TV channel. “It our work we are guided by the law, including the Criminal Code, which has provisions on responsibility for public insult of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’ honour and dignity. And if we think that a joke falls under this article of the Criminal Code, we adopt a decision not to air it”.

By the way, a year ago in Belarus an item disappeared from “Programma Maximum” on NTV channel. The presenter Gleb Pyanykh took the liberty to make some unfavorable comments on the topic “Russia-gas-Lukashenka”. And last year TV channel “Rossiya” cut away the part from broadcast of “Slavonic Bazaar” concert where Alyaksandr Lukashenka was dancing with Verka Serdyuchka (the scene was allegedly because of the scandal with Verka Serdyuchka and the song Dancing Lasha Tumbai).

The situation is commented by one of the hosts of the program “ProjectorParisHilton” Sergei Svetlakov:

“If somebody thinks about censorship, I would like to refute this crazy thought. In reality, the government decided to sell the episode about Lukashenka separately on DVD in Belarus. This episode is sure to become a blockbuster”.