Narodnaia Volia and Salidarnasts Newspapers Deleted from State Subscription Catalog

According to RFE/RL

The independent newspapers Narodnaia Volia and Salidarnasts haven’t been included into the subscription catalog for 2006. The editors of these editions received the letter from the administration of Belarusian post informing them about the breach of cooperation since 1 January 2005 because of economic inexpediency.

Aliaksandr Starykievich, chief editor of Salidarnasts and Sviatlana Kalinkina, chief-editor of Narodnaia Volia, believe the decision must have been taken not by Belpost alone, but in higher official circles. Sviatlana Kalinkina considers, that deprival readers of subscription is the continuation of the persecution campaign against the newspaper that started in October. At that time the printing house Chyrvonaia Zorka refused to print Narodnaia Volia newspaper and Belsaiuzdruk enterprise – distribute it through its newsstands.

Aliaksandr Starykievich and Sviatlana Kalinkina say it is quite hard to establish an independent system of distribution, because this kind of activity is licensed and the Ministry of Communications is unlikely to issue the license to non-state distributors.

-- After this step non-state mass media again come to the DIY and internet epoch, says Aliaksandr Starykievich, whereas Sviatlana Kalinkina states that issue of a newspaper can’t exist as a business. To her mind, a public or political non-state newspaper must be issued so that it can be handed out in the streets free of charge and its circulation must be at least equal to the circulation of Sovetskaya Belorussiya state newspaper.