Will Narodnaya Volia be suppressed? :: Charter'97 :: News

Undoubtedly, a purposeful campaign on the destruction of the only daily private newspaper “Narodnaya Volia” is being mounted today. Last week the Minsk Leninski Court redressed the claim of Liberal-Democratic Party of Belarus leader Siargey Haidukevich to “Narodnaya Volia”. The newspaper must pay to Siargey Haidukevich the compensation for moral damages of BR 100 mln. Euramost.org addressed experts for comments.

“Today the question concerns not only one particular newspaper, - deems Mikhail Pastukhou, the head of the Center for Mass Media Juridical Protection of the Belarusian Journalist Association, - the powers are holding a well-planned war against private editions using all methods. To my mind, with the next electoral campaign of 2006 coming soon, the pressure on the independent structures of the civil society will increase.”

Harry Pahanyaila, Vice Chairperson of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, assures that the way the court powers treated “Narodnaya Volia” is a pure manifestation of the present leadership’s attitude towards everything independent and private: “The powers are horrified by any display of freedom - freedom of assembly, freedom of meeting, and, eventually, free will and freedom of speech.”

Euramost.org managed to contact assistant editor-in-chief of the disgraced newspaper “Narodnaya Volia” Sviatlana Kalinkina. From her point of view, the question with Siargey Haidukevich was engendered easily: “The scandals with those businessmen and political figures who traded the Iranian oil at the time of Saddam Hussein presidency are now unfolding all over the world. The Belarusian politicians, including Siargey Haidukevich, also appear in American reports on the results of these researches. Judging by the outcome of the first trial of Haidukevich and “Narodnaya Volia” I am absolutely sure that the powers knew everything. He was simply sharing those gains.”

Sviatlana Kalinkina replied to the question of Euramost.org correspondent on whether the immeasurably high fines might stipulate the suppression of the only daily private newspaper:

“These sums are just inconceivable. Recently there has been a case considered by the Belarusian courts, where the Emergency hospital was accused of the demise of a young woman, who died because the doctors of the Emergency Hospital did not give her sufficient medical aid. And the most severe penalty that the lawyers managed to achieve - less than $10 hundred for a human life.”