Lohvinau bookshop has raised funds to pay fine

The bookshop now has 976 million rubles excluding taxes, while the amount of the fine is 967 million.

Lohvinau bookshop is ready to pay the fine on time. According to the website of the campaign, almost 66,000 dollars (about 967 million rubles) was collected. The fine issued by the Minsk economic court on January 9 is 967 million Belarusian rubles.

Euroradio learnt it from businessman Ihar Lohvinau.

“We have a schedule set by the court. We must pay the first part by April 16 and pay the fine in full by May 16. We have the full amount required and meet the schedule. The amount on the website does not include additional expenses, such as bank charges of 2% and 5% of the single tax. We haven't calculated it yet, but it seems we will have some extra money.”

The businessman plans to spend the money left after paying the fine on “updating bookshelves”, buying a cash register and solving other numerous problems of the bookstore.

The licence of Lohvinau publishing house was revoked in October 2013 for printing Belarus Press Photo 2011 album, which was found extremist. All book distributors in Belarus must undergo a registration procedure since January 2014. Bureaucratic barriers de facto work as censorship. Lohvinau bookshop made six registration attempts last year, but all applications were rejected for trumped up reasons. The publishing house continues to work. The money collected during the fundraising campaign will be spent on saving the company and its property.