ARTICLE 19 Protests Clampdown on Free Medias :: Charter'97 :: News

Influential international human rights watchdog ARTICLE 19 addressed president Lukashenko over the continued harassment of independent media outlets in the Republic of Belarus. It reminds Lukashenko that denial to grant recognition to the 2000 parliamentary elections has been caused by limitations, imposed on free media in Belarus. Following read the full transcript:

“ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, is extremely concerned at the many recent incidents of harassment of non-state newspapers in the run-up to the presidential elections. Over the past six weeks we have recorded the following incidents:

· 24 August – Svabodniye Novosti - Received warning from State Committee for Press for ‘dissemination of incorrect information’.

· 23 August - Nasha Svaboda – One computer confiscated by police in relation to tax inspection

· 23 August – Den’ – Journalist Vadim Borshevskiy arrested in Vitebsk

· 22 August - Magic Printing Press - Equipment sealed and bank account frozen

· 22 August – Vladimir Goncharik (presidential candidate) – Meeting with electorate in Soligorsk disrupted by police.

· 22 August - Narodnaya Volya - 10 computers seized by police in relation to tax inspection

· 21 August - Narodnaya Volya, BDG, Nasha Svaboda - Tax inspection started

· 17 August - Nasha Svaboda - 216 400 copies of a special edition confiscated at Magic Printing Press. Received warning from State Committee for Press for ‘dissemination of incorrect information’.

· 14 August - Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni – ‘Unofficial inspection’ of financial documents and equipment

· 14 August – Kutseyna - Equipment confiscated under decree N.8

· 14 August - Region-Vesti - Threats from KGB to confiscate equipment

· 8 August - Pagonya - Threats from KGB and local prosecutor to shut paper down

· 7 August - Pagonya - Attempted recruitment by KGB and threat to shut paper down

· 24 July - Den’ - Office burgled and hard disks stolen again

· 19 July - Belaruskiy Uschod - Equipment confiscated under decree N.8

· 16 July - Den’ - Office burgled and hard disks stolen

· 12 July - Volny Gorad - Equipment confiscated under decree N.8

These incidents have resulted in the work of national and regional non-state newspapers being severely disrupted and voters being deprived of access to information about alleged governmental wrong-doing and alternative presidential candidates. ARTICLE 19 condemns these blatant attempts by the authorities to effectively silence their critics, thereby ensuring unbalanced media coverage of the election campaign.

In carrying out such large-scale harassment of the non-state media, Belarus continues to be in clear violation of its international obligations to guarantee freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which states that everyone should have the ‘freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print…’.

We strongly urge you to cease immediately this harassment of the non-state media, and instead guarantee the freedom of the press in line with Belarus’s obligations under international law. During the presidential election campaign, the possibility for the electorate to receive a diversity of information and opinion is absolutely essential to guarantee free and fair elections. The international community’s rejection of the parliamentary elections in 2000 stemmed in large part from restrictions imposed on access to the media in Belarus, a situation which is likely to be repeated without urgent steps to reverse the events of the last few weeks.

Yours sincerely,

Sara Gaunt

Europe Program Officer”