Internet Forum in Hrodna Is Closed for Criticism towards Lukashenka

According to Belarusian Association of Journalists, forum.grodno.by internet forum was closed in Hrodna. This forum was situated at the web-site of Hrodna branch of the state monopolist on electronic communications Beltelekam. This forum was very popular – more than 2 000 individual users entered it everyday. The forum pages were destroyed. The administration of Beltelekam proposed Aliaksei Rads, director of Hrodna Forum department, to retire from work. Aliaksei Rads thinks that the reason for this “proposal” is that critical opinions about the present regime appeared at the forum entry that was devoted to the repeated election at Hrodna central election circuit #52. The forum also had such parts as “About Europe and the Republic of Belarus”, “Our president. Who is he?”, “About propaganda as it is”, “Iron curtain”, etc.

According to Valery Shymak, the head of the service workshop of the Beltelekam branch, the mentioned forum was closed temporary, because its moderator suddenly retired. He said that about a thousand of topics were elaborated at the forum and the function of moderator was to invent topics, watch the development of the discussion and remove four-letter words -- that’s why the forum couldn’t function without moderator.