“Navinki” Newspaper Is Suspended Again

According to BAJ Press Service

On 27 August the minister of information Uladzimir Rusakevich signed the order to suspend the issue of the “Navinki” newspaper for three months on charges of violation of several articles of the law “On press and other mass media”. According to the ministry, the editorial board of the newspaper informed the ministry about change of its juridical address too late. It didn’t send “signal” numbers to state bodies, didn’t present full issue data and committed some financial violations.

The head of the registration department of the ministry Viktar Turetski stated that “Navinki” could receive even severer punishments for the committed violations, whereas the chief editor of the newspaper Pawliuk Kanavalchuk believes that “new hunting of the newspaper by the authorities can be explained with their wish to exclude “Navinki” from the informational field and public life during holding of the Parliamentary election.”

Last time the newspaper was suspended for three months beginning from 22 May 2003, by the previous information minister, Mikhail Padhayny. Before that, the newspaper was warned two times: first time – for distribution of information insulting to honor and dignity of President of the Republic of Belarus and the second – for “attempt on morality, honor and dignity of citizens”. After this suspension the newspaper experienced problems with printing houses and finding of means to renew the issue, which was done only recently. Now the newspaper is suspended again.