Correspondence Censorship

Letters either get unpacked to the common post box of the Center “Litsviny”, Zhodzina branches of the Association of Belarusian Language and the party Belarusian People’s Front, in Frantsysk Skaryna 3-115 or don’t get there at all.

For instance, on 6 September 2003 the letter of the Management and Privatization to the Belarusian Youth Organization “Litsviny” appeared in the postbox in the unpacked and a bit torn envelope (you can look at the photo at http://licviny.narod.ru/ ). The envelope contained the book “Belarus: choice of the way”.

The answer of Minsk Maskowski Borough Court to Aliaksey Lapitski’s suit against the illegal actions of L. Yarmoshyna, Head of the Central Electoral Commission (who, violating the Law “About applications of citizens” hadn’t answered to the public appeals concerning falsifications during the first and the second votes at the election to local Deputy Soviets) wasn’t touched.

Sometimes the box renters didn’t receive even registered letters. The E-mail connection, especially during active contacts of “Litsviny” with mass media and partner organizations, worked with unbelievable failures. Letters either didn’t get through or were delivered with damages. Delivery delays were as long as 1-4 days for some 100 kilometers!

Besides, the computer database and the equipment regularly undergo coordinated virus attacks, sometimes embracing other independent public organizations of Belarus.

The fact that the Center has recently received the letter of IMP Research center with the envelope unpacked (the addresses of the sender and the receiver were printed in English) can witness the “specialists on public contacts” to the essence of such contacts.

This may be an occasional episode or a sign that “wide profile specialists” care for independent organizations, public and political activists that maintain principled dialogue with the authorities and try to defend their own and common public interests.

The receivers intend to apply to the prosecutor’s office for investigation of the latest episode and look what will come out.

At present we can only state for sure that in Zhodzina post boxes are quite unsafe, especially for the persons who maintain contacts with foreign partners and the organization who have names, addresses and logos printed in Latin letters.

Ales Volny,
Litsviny-Info,
375 (01775) 75-910,
http://licviny.narod.ru/