Trial over “Nasha Niva” adjourned

The Supreme Economic Court has suspended proceedings in the case concerning the suit of the Information Ministry on closing “Nasha Niva” newspaper in Minsk on May 11.

“The legal proceedings have been suspended before consideration of “Nasha Niva” petition for taking an appeal from the warning # 38 by the Information Ministry of Belarus,” judge Viktar Kuryla decided.

The decree has not caused any complaints of the representatives of the both sides.

The Information Ministry has filed suits to the Supreme Economic Court for termination of issuing of independent newspapers “Nasha Niva” and “Narodnaya Volya” basing upon Article 51 of the Law “On Mass Media”. The grounds are the two or more official warnings to the editorial offices of these two newspapers within one year.

Employees of the newspapers believe that the claims of the military are politically motivated. Representatives of “Nasha Niva” stress that the newspaper has received two warnings for articles related to the Russian film “Godfather” (criticizing the Belarusian regime), and the third one concerning the coverage of the terrorist attack in Minsk metro.

At the moment the last warning is appealed against by the newspaper, so noting the claim of the Information Ministry is impossible before this procedure ends.

“I believe that in case the trial would be objective, the appeal would be granted,” the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Andrei Skurko said to BelaPAN.

On May the Supreme Economic Court held a private session of the court at the suit of the Information Ministry on “Nasha Niva” shutting down. During the court session as an argument in favour of the newspaper Skurko offered to the court letters of a number of community leaders in support of the newspaper.

“Most notably, among them is the People’s Poet Nil Hilevich, who has written a letter in support of “Nasha Niva” and “Narodnaya Volya” newspapers,” Skurko told. “Besides, veterans of Belarusian journalism have signed such a letter. There were Hrodna war and labour veterans, who have written a collective letter. In addition, we have many letters from our readers, they are simply distressed by what is happening, and they are writing letters of support, they write they read our newspaper and that it is important for them.”