Hrodna Police Detain 3 400 Copies of Narodnaia Volia

In the evening of 31 October in 15 kilometers from Hrodna the road police detained a car with three members of the United Civil Party and 3 400 copies of Narodnaia Volia newspaper in it. The police states they will return the newspaper only after the UCP shows them the way-bills and the agreement for distribution of the edition concluded between the UCP and the editorial board of the newspaper.

Having stopped the car, the policemen demanded from Iury Istomin, Uladzimir Chyrvonienka and Artur Smiatanin to open the trunk. They saw there sheaves of Narodnaia Volia and called a police brigade from Hrodna (which may have waited nearby, as they came in several minutes). These policemen examined the issue data of the newspaper, photographed the car truck and proposed the UCP members to come to Hrodna District Board of Internal Affairs with them. There they composed the protocol of the newspaper exaction and stated they would return it in the case the owners present the waybills and the distribution agreement.

United Civil Party and Narodnaia Volia really concluded the agreement for distribution of the newspaper. Its members are going to show it to the police. Besides, all the detained newspaper copies have the seal “for promotion purposes” on them.

We should remind that since 4 November Narodnaia Volia has been printed in Smolensk (Russia) as all Belarusian printing houses refused to collaborate with it. The main part of the circulation is distributed on subscription. The remaining several thousands are handed out free of charge by public organizations and oppositional parties. The main part of the confiscated circulation (3 200 copies) was the Saturday’s number of Narodnaia Volia.

According to press-service of Belarusian Association of Journalists