Last oppositional newspapers to ruin as to be printed in Belarus impossible

Since the beginning of 2009 the independent newspaper “Vitsebskiy kurjer M” had to suspend its issuing. The editorial office has informed about that to the Information Ministry in a written form.

The press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists has been informed about that by legal adviser of the closed joint-stock company “Vitsebski kurjer” Publishing House” Pavel Lyavinau.

“We had to make this move on purely economic reasons. The newspaper is deprived of a possibility to be disseminated on subscription and via the network of “Belsayuzdruk” retailers. Pringting houses of Vitsebsk region refuse to print the newspaper, and we had to transport newspapers from Smolensk… All this means huge financial expenses. At the moment all employees are sent to a leave a because of a temporarily suspension of business,” he explained.

It is not clear so far for what period of time the newspaper has suspended its work. As said by P. Lyavinau, everything depends on further development of the situation.

“I do not see any serious improvement in the sphere of freedom of mass media. It is certainly good that two independent newspapers are distributed legally (“Narodnaya Volya” and “Nasha Niva”). However, the authorities do not even think about local newspapers, and appeals to return them into the legal framework are simply ignored,” the lawyer says.

The last issue of “Vitsebskiy kurjer M” was published in December 2008.