The Library Wants, But Can Not Subscribe to a Non-Governmental Newspaper :: Charter'97 :: News

The regional library can not subscribe to the “Vitebsk Kurjer M” regional non-governmental newspaper with the best will in the world for this, – informs the official letter of the Vitebsk City Council Culture Department Mr. Mikalay Pashynsky, which received this week the “Belarusian Helsinki Committee” human rights organization member Mr. Pavel Levinau.

As Mr. Levinau told the BAJ Press Service, Vitebsk people began addressing complaints to him as the BHC representative in the Vitebsk region that it is impossible to read “the Vitebsk Kurjer M” newspaper in city libraries. According to citizens, it violates their civil rights on receiving information.

“I visited the regional library and made sure that there is no newspaper indeed in the reading room. Workers answered to my question, why the library does not “Vitebsk Kurjer M” newspaper: “Most distressingly, it does not depend upon us, and readers very often ask for the newspaper indeed”, – told Mr. Pavel Levinau. – I made a comment in the book of complaints, where I asked to consider readers rights and have the “Vitebsk Kurjer” newspaper file in the library also”.

The Vitebsk regional library administration answered in a written way that this question is not in their competence and proposed the human rights defender address himself to the City Council Culture Department.

“Most distressingly, the library does not have a possibility to subscribe to all periodicals, which are being printed in the republic and the near abroad”, – told in the answer the Vitebsk City Council Culture Department Head. And informed further that “in spite of the limited budget resources”, the regional library had subscribed to 713 issues.

“I will try to find financial resources to subscribe the regional library to “Vitebsk Kurjer”, – told Mr. Pavel Levinau. He intended to address to the Culture Department with the proposal to render them such help.

It is mentioned in the Culture Department Head letter that the library, making subscription, caters to the editions, which are being edited by big number of copies. According to his opinion, it means – they are in readers demand.

“The “Vitebsk Kuryer M” number of copies is 1500, any interested person has a possibility to subscribe to this edition privately or get acquainted with the newspaper issues in the editorial”, – says Mr. Mikalay Pashynsky.

It should be reminded that it is impossible to subscribe to the “Vitebsk Kurjer” by the “Belposhta” catalogue from the beginning of 2006. The state post enterprise refused to distribute the newspaper and excluded it together with the number of other non-governmental editions from the subscription catalogue. At the same time “Belsaiuzdruk” refused to sell the newspaper in its news-stands.

The newspaper lost its ways of distribution and this peculiarity forced the “Vitebsk Kuryer” editorial to decrease the number of copies. And in contrast to official editions the “VK” does not receive financial support from the state.