Ministry of Information denied registration to ‘Maryinahorskaya’ newspaper

The Ministry of Information returned to the founder of the non-state sociopolitical regional newspaper Maryinahorskaya the document that were filed for the state registration of the edition.

In its official answer of 2 November the Ministry explained the registration denial with absence of the legal address of the newspaper.

According to Volha Kulchanka, founder and head of the private publishing house Telegraph-info (the legal body acting as the editorial board of the newspaper) this information is not true.

In October the editorial board of the newspaper really had some problems with the legal address. In particular, on 14 October the lessor, a local private entrepreneur, stated that Pukhavichy district executive committee made him break the agreement because of the insolvency of the leaseholders.

However, according to Volha Kulchanka, there weren’t any legal reasons for breaking the agreement. That’s why the issue was solved the same day and the newspaper saved the legal address and urgently informed the Ministry of Information about it.

On 30 October Viktar Huretski, head of the ministry’s sector of registration of mass media and control of legality, phoned to Volha Kulchanka and the lessor and asked whether the newspaper had the legal address. Both of them confirmed that the rent agreement was in force.

Now the founder of the newspaper will try to get the ministry consider the registration documents again.