Another Independent Newspaper Disappear In Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

On January 16 in Svetlahorsk the last issue of the independent newspaper “Region-vesti” was published. It was the forth issue in a row which contained only a TV channels program in it. But even in this form the subscribers were not able to receive it. Svetlahorsk branch of the Homiel regional post office informed the editorial office of the independent newspaper that the contract for delivery of it is unilaterally cancelled.

Mikola Pasedzka, the “Region-vesti” editor-in-chief said that the editorial office had to publish only a TV program because the Svetlahorsk executive committee prohibited publishing of other informational materials in the “Region-vesti” to printing-houses.

Apropos, in the October of 2003 on the order of the chairman of the executive committee Balyaslaw Pirshtuk banned selling of the “Region-vesti” in the Svetlahorsk regional consumers` cooperative shops. In September, 2003 printing-house “Tytul” form Rechytsa cancelled a contrct with the newspaper. The attempts to find a new partner among printing-houses of the region failed. Since September the “Region-vesti” was published in Minsk. However, this led to higher costs for printing and delivery, as well as production timetable – the newspaper came with delay and lost many readers.

“It’s a direct political pressure, - believes the editor-in-chief Mikola Pasedzka. – Our newspaper was always kept an eye on. But after we started to bring to light activities of local authorities, they were stirred up. All punitive orders are made in oral form, so that the appearance was as if our newspaper closed all by itself”.