09.07.2009 Ivan Kruk appeals against fine

Astravets activist Ivan Kruk, who has been fined for handing out press editions containing no imprint, appealed against the verdict of Astravets district court to Hrodna oblast court, and also applied to Hrodna oblast prosecutor’s office.

09.07.2009 Homel: detentions for distribution of non-state newspapers

On 9 July at 7 a.m. policemen detained the head of Homel branch of the Party of Communists of Belarus Uladzimir Siakerka and his party comrade Mikalai Zasuski.

08.07.2009 Homel: journalist detained for covering mass action of protest

On 8 July in the morning in Homel people in mufti detained a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, independent journalist Aleh Razhkou.

08.07.2009 Veterans of Afghan war sue ‘Sovetskaya Belorussiya’

The co-chairmen of the organizing committee of the association of Afghan war veterans Defenders of Fatherland Aleh Vouchak and Alexander Kamarouski have filed two suits against the newspaper of the presidential administration of Lukashenka, Sovetskaya Belorussiya to Savetski district court of Minsk.

08.07.2009 Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuses to register Belarusian representation of BelSat TV

The official reason is that one more document is needed to register the TV channel.

02.07.2009 ARCHE extremism case terminated

Brest Maskouski Court has terminated the legal prosecution of the ARCHE analytical magazine for alledged propaganda of extremism after the local KGB department declared they would not insist on putting the charge on the defendant. According to an official letter recieved by ARCHE, the hearing was closed, the judge and the secretary being the only persons present.

29.06.2009 Ivan Kruk is fined for giving several newspapers to neighbor

On 26 June Astravets district court ruled that the local democratic activist Ivan Kruk was to be fined 700 000 rubles for ‘distribution of periodicals without imprint’.

24.06.2009 Chief Editor of independent newspaper warned by local authorities

According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists’ press-service, Uladzimir Skrabatun, editor-in-chief of the Volnaye Hlybokaye independent newspaper, has been warned by the town of authorities of Hlybokaye, Vitsebsk region following a complaint by an unknown town resident. The warning was issued for violating entrepreneurs’ regulations, after Mr.Skrabatun’s daughter Nadzeya, engaged in selling the newspaper at the local market, refused to give a client the book of complaints.

24.06.2009 Polish-language press seized from leaders of Union of Poles of Belarus

Leaders of the Union of Poles of Belarus Mieczyslaw Jaskiewicz, Ihar Bantsar, Andrzej Pisalnik, and Andrzej Poczobut had to spend three hours at a militia station in Shchuchyn.

Militia officers confiscated Glos znad Niemna na uchodzstwie newspaper and Magazyn Polski, printed by the Union of Poles of Belarus headed by Andżelika Borys, Radio Svaboda reports.

A report of seizure was drawn up. Militiamen said the activists had been detained as militia had received information they were carrying anti-state materials. The department on ideology of the Shchuchyn district executive committee would check the newspaper and the magazine, journalist of Gazeta Wyborcza Andrzej Poczobut said. He also told the militia officers tried to hinder them to get to Ivyanets for a session of the local UPB branch.

23.06.2009 ARCHE magazine not extremist any longer, says KGB

The KGB Brest regional department will not insist on naming #7-8 of the ARCHE analytical magazine extremist, says the KGB spokesman Mikhail Sharkouski. According to the defendant’s lawyer Pavel Sapelka, the next hearing of the trial is due on 25 June. ‘Since there is no point of dispute anymore, we hope that the case will be terminated. The court has no grounds for turning down the KGB’s motion,’ said the lawyer.

17.06.2009 Lawsuit against Sovetskaya Belorussiya turned down

Minsk Savetski Court has turned down the claim by the civil activist Halina Yubko against the Sovetskaya Belorussiya major pro-government newspaper and its journalist Viktar Panamarou, following the publication of an article ‘providing a biased coverage’ of the civil campaign headed by Mrs.Yubko. The activist says she is going to appeal the verdict at Minsk City Court.

16.06.2009 Female activist to sue major pro-government newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussiya

On 16 June Minsk Savetski Court has commenced hearings of Halina Yubko’s lawsuit against the Sovetskaya Belorussiya newspaper. The activist claims that the newspaper has degraded her honour and dignity by providing a biased coverage of the civil initiative by a number of females fighting for the protection of the rights of their convicted friends and relatives. During a preliminary hearing the defendant said the group of women mentioned in the article had nothing to do with the initiative represented by Mrs.Yubko.

15.06.2009 Kletsk policemen who detained journalists are advised to improve knowledge of legislation

On 17 April Kletsk police detained the journalists Nastassia Krauchuk and Katsiaryna Tkachenka in the center of the town for videoing the local church for making a report about its repairs. They also detained another member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the editor of the regional bulleting Boiki Kletsk Siarhei Panamarou, and his son Uladzimir.

11.06.2009 Non-state newspaper ‘Borisovskie Novosti’ is accused of defamation

On 10 January Barysau district court started trying the lawsuit of the editor of the newspaper of Barysau district executive committee Adzinstva V.Pratasevich against the journalist of the newspaper Borisovskiye Novosti V.Nitski and the publishing house Bukas Media Center.

10.06.2009 Non-state editions are trying return to the state distribution net

A number of regional non-state newspapers again addressed BelPoshta (Belarusian Post, the state monopolist on distribution of press by subscription) and Belsayuzdruk (the state monopolist on retail of press from newsstands). They hope to get positive answers because of the recent sitting of the civil coordinative council of mass media.