Forced Subscription In High Gear :: Charter'97 :: News

The order of the department of consumer services of Minsk Executive Committee, signed by the head of the A. Kovsher, has become another confirmation of “inflated” state-run Belarusian newspapers’ readership. In the document, which is distributed to private enterprises of different levels, it is ordered to take steps for mandatory subscription for the newspaper of presidential administration, “Sovetskaya Belorussia”, and the newspaper of Minsk authorities, “Minskiy Kurjer”. Despite of the size of the firm and a number of workers, orally the “request” is to make subscription for several copies of these newspapers, not for one. Such “requests” usually strangely coincide with visits of tax inspection or other bodies. It is required to send confirmation of subscription by fax.

As we have informed, copies of analogous documents, addressed to directors of enterprises and organizations, signed by heads of Zavadski and Pershamajski district executive committees, were brought to “Narodnaya Volya”. The heads of organizations and enterprises are reminded about “political importance” of this subscription, and asked to control subscription for state-run media personally.

Such practice exists not only in Minsk. Before June 15, 2005 enterprises and organizations of Hrodna are to give an account of the results of subscription campaign for the “Sovetskaya Belorussia” for the second half of the year-2005, the letter sent to administrations of Hrodna districts reads, Another example is the request of the head of Lenin district administration of Brest, V.Abramchuk, who on December 9 last year asked the heads of enterprises and organizations to subscribe for the “Sovetskaya Belorussia”.

In the result of such actions Information Minister Uladzimir Rusakevich stated that according to the results of subscription campaign for the first six month of the year 2005, the circulation of state-run newspapers had grown by 25 %. In the second half of the year this figure is to grow even more.

The subscription campaign was the most successful for the Sovetskaya Belorussia”: the circulation has exceeded 500,000. The editorial office has refused to comment on this success: deputy editor-in-chief, Anatol Lyabedzik, had not answered the question of Radio Svaboda and slammed down the receiver.