The authorities use all possible means to close the remaining few independent information sources. Since 1 January 2006 the subscribers of the three independent newspapers of Belarus – Narodnaia Volia, Salidarnasts and Zgoda, will no longer receive these newspapers. The pretensions to them also look ridiculous: for instance, Belposhta (Belarusian Post) wasn’t informed that Narodnaia Volia has changed the printing house. Let us remind that in October all Belarusian printing houses refused to cooperate with the newspaper as a result of which it has to print in Smolensk (Russia). Besides, the newspaper is no longer sold through the state distribution net, the agreement was broken as well. In the case with Zgoda Belposhta accuses the edition in violation of the conditions of the agreement and draws several cases when the editorial office didn’t timely inform it about the postponement of the issue day or wasn’t issued in the due time.
— Every subject of economy in its economic activity has the right to be guided by the economic expediency, — that’s how Belposhta justifies its actions. However, Aliaksandr Starykievich, chief editor of Salidarnasts, Sviatlana Kalinkina, chief editor of Narodnaia Volia, and Aliaksiei Karal, chief editor of Zgoda, have a different opinion. They believe it is the continuation of the campaign against independent mass media that started in Belarus long ago and activated on the eve of the presidential election. The editors think they would hardly manage to establish the alternative system for distribution of their newspapers. There’s almost no hope the Ministry of Connections will issue the license for distribution of the newspapers. According to Mr. Karal, “now a newspaper as an informational project can exist either repeating the official position or being distributed half-legally as it used to be before 1917 and during the times of the Soviet rule. The editor of Salidarnasts upholds this opinion:
— The epoch of internet and DIY is coming for the non-state mass media of Belarus, — said Aliaksandr Starykievich.
At the same time, Zhana Litvina, chair of Belarusian Association of Journalists, thinks that the more difficulties, the stronger is the feeling of near changes:
— I am deeply convinced that some time will pass and there will begin the real Renaissance epoch for journalism and independent editions first of all. They will be at the peak of demand after the decade of closed information.
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