Authorities Look For Pretext to Shut Down “Narodnaya Volya” :: Charter'97 :: News

The editorial office of the independent newspaper the “Narodnaya Volya” has received a letter from the republican unitary enterprise “Minoblsajuzdruck”. The letter informs that this state enterprise refuses to distribute the newspaper. The reason for denial is strange. “For the last three months your periodical “Narodnaya Volya” was in low demand among the customers. In view of a great variety of newspapers and magazines at the market, and limited shopping space of our enterprise, further distribution of your periodical is considered economically inadvisable”, the document reads.

As we have informed, the state printing house “Chyrvonaya Zorka” (Krasnaya zvezda) and “Belsayuzdruk” and “Minablsayuzdruk” National Unitary Enterprises refused to print and distribute the newspaper since October 1. The alleged reason is failure to pay out moral loss compensation to Syarhei Hajdukevich, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, for an article about his links with Saddam Hussein regime. Today the “Narodnaya Volya” has paid the whole sum of compensation (Br 100 mln).