Miastsovy Chas Newspaper Pressurized by Pinsk Authorities

In Pinsk workers of post offices “don’t advise” people subscribing to the non-state newspaper Miastsovy Chas, referring to the fact that the postmen will stop its delivery to postboxes in 2006. For instance, a worker of the monitoring service of Belarusian Association of Journalists heard such “recommendation” at the post office #16. The workers of the post office refused to explain the origin of this information and didn’t tell who advised them to instruct the subscribers.

The non-state newspaper Miastsovy Chas is issued in the city of Pinsk. It started feeling the pressurization of the local authorities long ago. Pinsk branch of Belsaiuzdruk refuses to conclude the agreement with it for sell in the state kiosks, referring to the press overload. Public distributors are prohibited to sell the newspaper for the fear of punitive sanctions.

According to the chief editor Viktar Iarashuk, at the last council of the ideology department of Pinsk City Executive Committee the necessity to supplant the newspaper out of the city was discussed.