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Ministry Of Information: Russia 24 Channel Broadcast Is Not Allowed In Belarus

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A conflict at a fuel filling station resolved in an unexpected way.

The incident occurred at a United Company fuel filling station near Staubtsy in August. Journalist Hleb Labadzenka asked to switch over the Russia 24 TV channel, but the staff refused, citing the director’s order to show that particular TV channel, nn.by writes.

Labadzenka left a complaint at the fuel station, appealed to the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Communications, the Staubtsy Regional Executive Committee chief ideologist, and phoned the fuel station director Vital Kulak. He said that the channel would be on at the fuel station in future, as “this channel allows people to find out about the news from around the world to the fullest extent.”

PHOTO: HLEB LABADZENKA

As it turned out, it is illegal to show the Russia 24 TV channel not only at the fuel station, but totally in Belarus. Deputy Head of Electronic Media Department, Head of TV and Radio Broadcasting Department of the Ministry of Information of Belarus Nadzezhda Bel’skaya told Hleb Labadzenka about that. She was aware of the situation at the fuel station and sent Labadzenka’s appeal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to the explanations given in the Ministry of Information, only a person, listed in the Special Register of the Ministry of Information, and who signed a contract with a particular channel, has the right to distribute electronic media. The fuel station was not included into the Register. That means that it was not allowed to show not only the Russia 24 channel, but virtually any channel.

Virtually any, as, according to the law, only nine channels of the so-called “social package” can be broadcast in a public place, including the Belarus 1, Belarus 2, Belarus 3, Belarus 5 TV channels. That is, a fuel station, a cafe has the right to show the visitors only one of the permitted nine channels.

Moreover, the Russia 24 channel is not even among the 209 foreign channels, permitted for distribution in Belarus.

Obviously, if you have a satellite dish and you watch it, no one will fine you. But if you want to plug in a large screen or to broadcast the channel on the wall of a neighboring house, then it will be regarded as its distribution, and you might be brought to justice.

“We got a good tool to fight with all the channels, except the nine included in the list for distribution, – Hleb sums up. – Now the fuel station director will face two courts. The first one is for broadcasting the channel, and the second one is for responding in Russian to my appeal, written in the book of complaints in Belarusian. Three years ago I gained suit at law “for the Belarusian language” for the first time in Belarus. That time the Housing Maintenance Service replied me in Russian.”

According to the second part of Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code, the fine for “violating the legislation on mass media” is 20 – 50 basic units.

According to article 9.13 of the Administrative Code, the fine for “violating the legislation on citizens and legal persons’ appeals” is 4 – 20 basic units.

Thus, the director of United Company fuel filling station near Staubtsy Vital Kulak can be fined 504 –1,470 rubles.

According to fuel filling station visitors, now the Europa + channel is on there, which is also a violation of the law.

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