News on the topic: mass media
10.12.2008 Hrodna: arrest of human rights activists
Human rights activists of Hrodna organized a street action dedicated to the 60th anniversary of proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Members of human rights organizations were distributing UDHR texts among Hrodna dwellers.
09.12.2008 Brest: policemen demand explanations from distributors of ‘Narodnaya Volia’
On 9 December young activists handed for free the issues of the officially registered newspaper Narodnaya Volia for the last two months in Pushkinskaya Street in Brest. In such a way they tried to encourage people to buy the newspaper to buy the newspaper after its return to the newsstands.
05.12.2008 Homel: Kanstantsin Zhukouski is warned for cooperation with ‘BelSat’
Kanstantsin Zhukouski, activist of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, has received a letter from the prosecutor’s office of Vetka district. He is warned about unacceptability of cooperation with the Polish TV channel Belsat.
04.12.2008 Barysau: opposition activist is tried in absentia
At the end of November Sviatlana Danilava, a well-known distributor of the independent press from Barysau, received by mail the verdict of Pershamaiski district court of Minsk by which she was fined 700 000 rubles (about $330) for distribution of pre-electoral leaflets with calls to boycott. In the verdict it is also stated that she had not come to the trial.
02.12.2008 Astravets: police detain civil activists on the way to nuclear power station building site
The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, a journalist Vadzim Kaznacheyeu and a leader of the youth wing of the UCP, ‘Young Democrats’, Alexander Serhiyenka, have been detained in Astravets.
01.12.2008 Reporters Without Borders call Belarusian authorities not to increase surveillance of Internet
Reporters Without Borders has learned that two independent newspapers that were dropped from official distribution networks for criticizing the government - the weekly Narodnaya Volia and the fortnightly Nasha Niva - yesterday signed contracts that will allow them to appear in the state postal monopoly Belposhta’s newspaper subscription catalogue and to be on sale in the state-owned Belsayuzdruk’s chain of newsstands.
01.12.2008 Lukashenka signed law on protection of information
On 10 November Alexander Lukashenka signed the law On Information, Informatization, and Information Protection. It was published on 26 November and will come into force six months after the publication.
24.11.2008 Independent newspapers distributors and journalists detained in Hrodna
23 November in Hrodna the police detained several activists who were distributing Nasha Niva and Nasha Slova independent newspapers. Besides, journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mikola Markievich, who watched the action, were also detained.
24.11.2008 Will "Nasha Niva" and "Narodnaya Vola" Be Distributed again?
The "Narodnaya Vola" and "Nasha Niva" independent newspapers are getting back to the state monopolists" press distribution networks, Iosif Syaredzich, the "Narodnaya Vola" Editor-in-chief reports.
16.11.2008 BAJ Applied to the Head of the Presidential Administration
The Belarusian Association of Journalists addressed with a letter the Head of Presidential Administration Uladzimir Makey to ask "assistance in solving the problem of distribution of non-state press". 15 editors of non-state Belarusian newspapers signed the appeal.
05.11.2008 Svetlahorsk: opposition activists get fined
Svetlahorsk town court fined 1.4 million rubles (about $650) Sviatlana Mikhalchanka, the leader of Salihorsk district organization of the Party of Communists Belarusian, and Viktar Akhramchuk and Siarhei Shavialenka, activists of the Belarusian Popular Front Party and the United Civil Party.
05.11.2008 No ‘extremism’ in ‘Svaboda’?
On 5 November Hrodna oblast court considered the cassation complaint against the verdict of Iuye district court by which an August issue of the Svaboda newspaper had been declared extremist. The judge Alexander Sitsko ruled to return the case to Iuye district court for review.
03.11.2008 Uladzimir Kazeka is fined for keeping newspapers
The administrative commission of Drahichyn district executive committee fined Uladzimir Kazeka, head of Drahichyn branch of the Belarusian Popular Front, 700 000 rubles (about $3328) for keeping copies of the newspaper Tut i Zaraz in his house. About 2 000 newspapers had been found there during a search on 31 October.
27.10.2008 “Borisovskiye Novosti” Facing a Defamation Case
The «Borisovskiye Novosti» newspaper editorial has received a court claim from Viera Pratasievich, the local state-owned «Adzinstva» newspaper’s Editor-in-chief. (It should be mentioned that the periodical has been founded by Barysau District Executive Committee.)
27.10.2008 Brest customs officers confiscate 10 issues of “Arche” magazine to conduct expertise
Brest customs officers confiscated 10 issues of a Belarusian nongovernmental magazine “Arche” yesterday. They were meant for Polish authors of the edition and were supposed to be presented to Polish libraries. A customs officer Renata Nyadbayeva suspected that “the information printed in the magazine may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus”.
