Orsha activist points minister at popularization of neo-Nazis by STV channel

Orsha civil society activist Ihar Kazmerchak has appealed to the Minister of information Liliya Ananich asking for an assessment of the actions of responsible persons who put on the air of STV channel programs that popularize modern neo-Nazis.

In an open letter Ihar Kazmerchak said:
"At 6.30 p.m. on December 3, 2014, the TV channel STV started broadcasting the program," We have never dreamed of. Born by Faith. Series No. 2. "In this program, a citizen of the Russian Federation Maksim Martinkevich (who is designated in the credits as "the leader of apublic movement") was presented as an expert. This is the Martinkevich, who is known by his nick-name “Tesak” (“Slasher”) in the neo-Nazi circles..

Minsk TV channel showed Martinkevich as an expert, and, therefore, a man who is respected and whose opinion is worth listening to. What is this “leader of a public movement” known for? He became famous for the first time among the contemporary Nazi movements by having beating a fellow soldier after being drafted into the army of the Russian Federation. He beat the soldier due to racial enmity, because the latter was an Azerbaijani national. Then, by the decision of psychiatrists Matinkevich was dismissed from the army. Later he established several non-governmental organizations, whose activities were banned on the territory of the Russian Federation by court as organizations of Nazi ideology. Martinkevich himself has been thrice convicted for inciting national enmity. At present he is serving a prison term. He has many times stated in public his support of National Socialism.

Martinkevich is shown for the first time at the 24th minute of the TV program during a lynching, during which he hits a man in front of a camera. He appears again at the 42nd minute and speculates on the notion of sin. This time he wears a T-shirt with the logo of the company "White Rex" (hidden advertising), which specializes in clothing for neo-Nazis. In the assortment of the company there are T-shirts with a stylized swastika.

The program is also accessible at the video hosting service Youtube (without the STV logo, as originally the program was aired at the Russian REN-TV)https://www.youtube.com/watch ? v = Wnhugp5rqwI

So, that's them man whom STV gives for an expert and an authority. This is a TV channel of a country which was almost completely destroyed during the war with the Nazis. The capital of the country, in which people from almost every family were killed by the Nazis.

Dear Liliya Stanislavauna, it seems to me that giving an airing such a program on the state-owned TV indirectly falls under the article of the criminal code penalizing incitement of national enmity. If it is not possible to draw editors and management of STV channel to criminal or administrative responsibility, they must be at least held morally responsible for the propaganda of the Nazis. If they don't get what they deserve today for showing a contemporary Nazi leader in the air, then tomorrow we will be shown Hitler as a moral authority.

In connection with the above written I ask you:

To assess the legal and moral point of view the actions of the responsible officials who admitted airing on STV of a program which promotes contemporary Nazi activists;

Take measures to prevent further appearance of leaders of contemporary Nazi movements on TV as experts or authorities;

To ensure that the cycle of programs "We have never dreamed of" and other programs of questionable content disappear from the airwaves of Belarusian TV channels.

Please, notify me about the measures taken in the designated statutory deadlines on the address indicated above.