Money Extortion Campaign Picks Up Speed in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

Today the National Television ONT unleashed a TV marathon on the collection of means for the construction of the new building fir the National Library of the Republic of Belarus. The authors of the project claim that offerings for the construction of the pointlessly huge book reservoir must be voluntary. Meantime, on the Internet there emerged the following message: “Gentlemen, how do you like it? My daughter returns from gymnasium and says: Dad, they order us to pay 500 rubles for the construction of library…”, “The librarians have to donate 20% for the construction of the new building”. Such information pieces come by dozens. Following are some of them.

“Our directors were ordered to sacrifice 30thsd for the purpose. The rest had to pay the daily allowance. These folks are crazy. I haven’t paid for three months for my flat, which is not taken for a good excuse.

Now I’m composing a letter on the transfer of 8,560 rubles for the construction purposes. I’m really sorry for my boss. He has to pay 30thsd.”

“If one protests the decision at the state enterprise they will at best strip him of bonuses and rewards or even force to file in a free-will resignation. Today at our private firm we thought that may be we should donate a little before there men show up and demand way more”.

“Collecting money at work is nothing new. But my little daughter was told to bring money to the kindergarten!”

“The BSU students are donating 50 rubles from their regular stipend to fund the project”.

“Tomorrow the teachers of the secondary school #45 will collect means for the purpose from passers-by at the “Pervomaisky” store in Uruchie suburban district. Such was an order from above.”