Supreme Economic Court Confirms Yet Another Warning to BDG

On 23 March the Supreme Economic Court rejected another suit of the BDG (Marat company) to the Information Ministry. Journalists tried to challenge the warning the Ministry issued on 30 January, reports BAJ press service.
The warning was based on article “Vikont” Fails to Blend with Belarusian Reality” by Iryna Makavetskaya, published by the newspaper on 10 December 2003. The Ministry believes the journalist violated Art 5 of the Law on press and other mass media by publishing materials of the unfinished court case without written permission of a judge.
This year it has been the third suit to the Information Ministry filed by the BDG and turned down by the Supreme Economic Court. The first two warnings were issued on 16 and 26 December 2003 for spreading allegedly false information (Art 32 of the Law on press).
We should remind the readers on 13 February Iryna Makavetskaya was personally warned by Homel region prosecutor’s office for her article “Vikont” Fails to Blend with Belarusian Reality”.