Smarhon District Executive Committee Vs. Independent Editions

The sitting of Horadnia regional economic court concerning suit of Smarhon district executive committee to the founder of “Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni” Ramuald Ulan about cessation of his private business was appointed on January 29.

“To my mind, the authorities can establish a precedent by liquidation an enterprise for some inconsiderable (from our point of view) violations, -- says the newspaper’s editor.

The formal reasons for the suit are violations of taxation law in 2000 and 2002, two reprimands of the prosecutor’s office in 2000, violations of the legislation about work safety and norms of fire security in 2002. According to the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the suit of the executive committee is an attempt to hinder the widening of Ramuald Ulan’s business who is eager to register two new editions – “Novaya Gazeta Ostrovtsa” and “Novaya Gazeta Oshmyan”. Smarhon district executive committee twice refused to register the locations of the editorial staffs, which made it impossible to register the editions. The Economic court has twice found such refusals illegal – in December 2001 and May 2002.

When Ulan, guided by the court decision applied to the executive committee for the third time, the authorities refused to register the places, referring to the recent check-up of fire security and filed a suit to court in order to make the businessman stop his activity.