(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 25 September 2000 letter to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, CPJ expressed its deep concern over the recent confiscation of more than 100,000 copies of the Minsk-based independent weekly “Rabochy”. On 13 September, according to local sources, police confiscated 112,000 copies of a special edition of “Rabochy”, nearly a third of the […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 25 September 2000 letter to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, CPJ expressed its deep concern over the recent confiscation of more than 100,000 copies of the Minsk-based independent weekly “Rabochy”.
On 13 September, according to local sources, police confiscated 112,000 copies of a special edition of “Rabochy”, nearly a third of the total print run, from the Magic publishing house in Minsk. The newspaper, published by the Belarusian Free Trade Union, had urged its readers to participate in the “Boycott-2000” campaign being organized by the opposition prior to the 15 October parliamentary elections. The police claimed that publishing a call to boycott the election was illegal.
Police also arrested “Rabochy” founder and editor Viktar Ivashkevich, “Rabochy” attorney Dzmitry Kastiukevich and Magic general director Yury Budzko. After being detained in a local police station for two hours, they were charged with “propagandizing an electoral boycott.” Additional charges were filed against Budzko as the publisher of the newspaper.
According to Belarusian legal experts consulted by CPJ, the recently approved Belarusian Electoral Code does not prohibit boycotting elections or advocating their boycott. While such boycotts are illegal under the country’s Administrative Code, this prohibition violates the Belarusian Constitution, which prohibits censorship, as well as the freedom of expression guarantees established under international law.
Budzko was acquitted at his 18 September trial in Minsk. However, the next day the same local court found Ivashkevich guilty as charged and sentenced him to pay a fine of 13,000 Belarusian rubles (US$13, or five months salary at the local minimum wage). Kastiukevich was ordered to pay a fine of 5,200 Belarusian rubles. The court also ruled that the government’s confiscation of “Rabochy” was legal. The newspaper plans to appeal both rulings.
The confiscation of “Rabochy” and the arrest of the newspaper’s editor and lawyer are part of a pattern of press abuses documented by CPJ that suggest a deliberate effort on the part of Belarusian authorities to silence critical voices prior to next month’s parliamentary elections.
For example, in a speech President Lukashenko gave on 23 August introducing Viktar Chykin, the newly appointed chief of the State Broadcasting Company, the president argued that broadcast media are responsible for conveying the ideology of the state. He also stated that private individuals would not be allowed to enter the field of broadcasting as owners or investors, according to local sources. In the same speech, Lukashenko announced that a local Minsk television channel would be transformed into a second national network. This would give the state complete control over television networks in the country. Local commentators believe that authorities are seeking to assert control over the broadcast media in advance of the upcoming elections.
On 21 August, the Chairman of the State Press Committee, Mikhail Padhayny, sent a letter to all newspaper editors reminding them that under a 1999 presidential decree, all publications must register as either for-profit or non-profit entities by the end of the year. Local journalists and human rights groups fear that this registration system could lead to punitive judicial sanctions and tax audits against critical publications.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– condemning these violations
– urging him to ensure that all charges against “Rabochy” are dropped and that the confiscated newspapers are released to the public
– noting that while the Belarusian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and of
the press, it is the responsibility of his government to ensure that these rights exist not only in principle but in practice
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:His Excellency Alexander Lukashenko
President of Belarus Republic
Minsk 220020
Fax: +375 172 23 58 25Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
