Miastsovy Chas Newspaper Is Evicted from Office

According to the press-service of Belarusian Association of Journalists

The editorial staff of the non-state newspaper Miastsovy Chas, issued in Pinsk, received the letter from the administration of Sport hotel informing about the annulment of the rent agreement since 31 December. The administration of the hotel that belongs to Belarusian Defensive-sportive Association didn’t explain its decision.

The rent agreement ends only in July 2006. The editorial board regularly paid for the rent and the public utilities and hasn’t received any pretensions from the lenders. The chief editor Viktar Iarashuk considers it one more step of the local authorities aimed at liquidation of the independent edition.

It’s worth mentioning that Pinsk regional printing house didn’t conclude with Miastsovy Chas the agreement for printing, Pinsk branch of Belsaiuzdruk refused to cooperate, the newspaper wasn’t include into the subscription catalog for 2006 and the postal offices of Pinsk refuse to subscribe people to it. That’s why on 8 December the editorial staff applied to the readers, asking them to sue the postal offices for violation of the constitutional right to receive information and the Law “On press and other mass media”.