News on the topic: mass media
21.01.2009 Will BAJ Baranavichy office be registered by authorities?
On 20 January Baranavichy town executive committee considered the case of the Belarusian Association of Journalists’ local office, which had twice been denied registration in 2008. The results of the consideration are not yet clear enough. Now the founders of the office are waiting for an official reply from the local authorities.
17.01.2009 Intex-press newspaper denied right to official distribution
The Brest-based independent newspaper Intex-press has received another refusal to be distributed in the state-owned Brestoblsoyuzpechat network. In his letter of 12 January, vice-head of Brestoblsoyuzpechat T.Zinevich said the contract would not continue contract with the newspaper due to ‘network overload and under Article 391 of the Civil Code of Belarus’.
16.01.2009 State-owned publishing house cancels contract with independent newspaper
The state-owned Belarusian Publishing House has cancelled its contract with the Borisovskiye novosti newspaper, says editor-in-chief Anatol Bukas. The decision was attributed to ‘certain violations of printing schedule’. The newspaper has not been able to be published in its hometown of Barysau since 1996.
14.01.2009 Ales Zarembiuk demands that subscription to ‘Hazeta Slonimskaya’ and ‘Novy Chas’ be returned
The member of the For Freedom movement Ales Zarembiuk applied to the director general of the republican unitary enterprise with the proposal to include Hazeta Slonimskaya and Novy Chas into the subscription catalogue. ‘Hazeta Slonimskaya is the only non-state socio-political edition on the territory of Hrodna oblast,’ emphasizes the activist. He calls the authorities not to create artificial obstacles on the newspapers’ way to the readers.
13.01.2009 Should citizens pay money for radio program in mother-tongue?
Dwellers of Baranavichy are trying to make the local authorities permit Belarusian-language program I Love My Land be transmitted by the local radio.
12.01.2009 Ideological department bans ‘Nasha Niva’ advertisement in tube
In December, after the Belarusian authorities agreed to return Nasha Niva to newsstands and to the official subscription catalog, the editorial office of the newspaper applied to the advertisement service of Minsk tube for placing an advertisement there.
09.01.2009 Journalist of ‘Narodnaya Volia’ still gets no accreditation
Narodnaya Volia newspaper editorial office is going to file a court claim against the Chamber of Representatives of Belarus that refused to issue a journalist accreditation to Maryna Koktysh, a correspondent of the newspaper.
08.01.2009 Minsk: printing house refuses to print Borisovskiye Novosti
Since the begging of this year independent social and political newspaper Borisovskiye Novosti has been deprived a possibility to be printed, and to be distributed via its own retail network.
08.01.2009 Hrodna: detention and search of Uladzimir Khilmanovich and Viktar Sazonau
Human rights activist Viktar Sazonau and journalist Uladzimir Khilmanovich were detained at the railway station in Hrodna.
16.12.2008 Another Detention for Distributing "Novy Chas"
Distributor of independent newspaper detained at local administration
15.12.2008 Vitsebsk: unlawful placement to psychiatric hospital
On 11 December 15-year-old schoolboy Maxim Andreyeu was placed to the closed department of Vitsebsk oblast psychiatric hospital athwart his will and without parents’ agreement. On 12 December he was proposed sign in the anamnesis (allegedly that he is already 15 years old). As it was found later, he signed under ‘agreement to placement in the psychiatric hospital).
15.12.2008 Minsk: detention for distribution of independent press
On 15 December the police detained the activists of the Young Front Yuliyan Misiukevich and Aliaksei Savinkou for distribution of the Young Front newspapers Svislatskaye Recha and flags with inscriptions ‘Let MTS be in Belarusian!’
15.12.2008 Minsk: celebration of ‘BelSat’ anniversary and ‘Clip Marathon’ are disrupted
On 14 December a festival Clip marathon of Belarusian video clips was to take place in Aquarium club. However, two days before the event its organizers had to cancel it.
12.12.2008 Court justifies ‘Svaboda’
On 12 December Iuye district court held a repeated trial concerning ‘extremist articles’ in August issue of the unregistered newspaper Svaboda. According to the lawyer Pavel Sapelka, who represented the newspaper’s interests at the trial, the court rejected the suit of Ihar Siarheyenka, head of Hrodna oblast KGB department, as no extremist articles have been found in the issue in question.
11.12.2008 Astravets: violation report for distribution of registered newspaper
Officers of Astravets district executive committee (Hrodna oblast) composed a violation report against an opposition activist Ivan Kruk (well-known democratic activist, an organizer of resistance to construction of nuclear power plant in Astravets district).
