(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has strongly condemned the Belarus government’s suspension of the satirical newspaper “Navinki”, the latest of several suspension in the run up to parliamentary elections slated for October 2004. The paper was shut down by the information minister for three months on 27 August. “The increase in suspensions of outspoken media on spurious […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has strongly condemned the Belarus government’s suspension of the satirical newspaper “Navinki”, the latest of several suspension in the run up to parliamentary elections slated for October 2004. The paper was shut down by the information minister for three months on 27 August.
“The increase in suspensions of outspoken media on spurious administrative charges at this time is an alarming sign,” RSF said. “The systematic crackdown on the independent press is utterly incompatible with the holding of free elections.”
“We have asked Information Minister Vladimir Rusakevich on several occasions not to suspend any media during the election campaign. Our request has so far remained unanswered, and apparently unheeded,” the organisation added.
Rusakevich said the paper had not informed the ministry of its new address and publication schedule, as required by law. The paper was fined and suspended for three months in May 2003, after it ran photos of President Alexander Lukashenko along with comments which were considered defamatory (see IFEX alert of 9 June 2003).
The minister recently ordered the suspension of two other newspapers for administrative reasons. The independent weekly “Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni”, in the western town of Smorgon, was suspended for 3 months on 16 August. The opposition weekly “Rabochaya Solidarnost” was suspended on 3 June (see alerts of 26 and 9 August and 8 June 2004).
