BelaPAN director states Yarmoshyna answered all questions 74

Ales Lipai, head of BelaPAN information company, has spread the following information today:

BelaPAN organised an online conference with head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna on 28 July 2008. False information about the event appeared on the website of Charter’97 public movement.

The conference was held at a website of internet newspaper Belorusskie Novosty, owned by BelaPAN company. Any reader of the Internet newspaper was able to put a question to the CEC head at a forum, or vie e-mail or a special form, beginning from 26 July, when the online conference was announced, till its end. L. Yarmoshyna’s answers were published at the website. The online conference lasted for about two hours, its full text is available here.

The article “Everyone wanted to ask Yarmoshyna: ‘When will you stop lying?’”, published at the Charter’97 website with reference to the press center of the organisation, contains a false statement that ”most participants of the conference asked the same question: ‘When will you stop lying?’” Really, there was only one such question, here is Yarmnoshyna’s answer to it:

“– Are you not ashamed to lie constantly?

Georgy, Moscow

– I don’t have this habit.”

A total of 58 questions were put at the conference. CEC head Lidziya Yarmoshyna answered 54 online and four questions weren’t asked at the conference due to mistake of the Belorusskie Novosti editor. We got on to Lidziya Yarmoshyna later and received answers to four remaining questions. Answers of the CEC head were posted to the website under the shorthand report of the conference.

So, the statement published at the Charter’97 website “Visitors put rather sharp questions to CEC head. However, not all of them were published” is not true. Lidziya Yarmoshyna answered all questions, sent by Belorusskie Novosti readers before the conference end, including sharp, uncomfortable and indelicate ones.

It is to be regretted that the staff of the Charter’97 website use unreliable sources, don’t think it’s their professional task to call to Belorusskie Novosti editor’s office and learn the details, and spread false information on the Internet.

Note of www.charter97.org: The information about content of most questions to Lidziya Yarmoshyna at the online-conference was received from staff of BelaPAN information company. If BelaPAN head holds another opinion, we agree with him: Yarmoshyna has answered to all questions.

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