The only independent daily in Belarus, which represents 65 per cent of the non-governmental print media circulation in the country, went out of business on Monday, 3 October. The two state distributors and the publishing house had all at the same time decided to cancel their contracts, citing different reasons. (18-OCT-05)
On 28 September Narodnaya Volya received notifications from the state monopolies in newspaper distribution Belsoyzpechat and Mingorsoyzpechat, as well as from the publishing house Krasnaya Zvezda, all informing it that they unilaterally cancelled contracts with the newspaper. Reasons cited: unsubstantiated claims of violations of the laws; lack of public demand for the newspaper; outstanding payment of 1000 Euros.
The closure of Narodnaya Volya came when the paper has already paid more than 70 per cent of an enormously high fine of 100,000,000 Belarusian roubles (around 38,000 Euros), levied in a libel suit filed by a local politician, based on the defamation provision of the civil code.
