Stated Printed Press Is Not Demanded Even Under Order

The way state employees are forced to subscribe to state editions.

In September there was a letter signed by deputy chairman of the Lida District Executive Committee Viktar Pranyuk and uploaded on the Internet. A bureaucrat there orders to organize a "voluntary subscription" to the state printed press. Press Secretary of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Barys Haretski addressed to the Lida district executive committee with a request: are actions of bureaucrats legal?

The number of subscriptions, according to the bureaucrat, should be at least 50% of the total number of employees at an enterprise, Belsat informs.

Usually the authorities deny facts of their activity. However, the chairman of the Lida District Executive Committee Mikhail Karpovich has proved the use of administrative resources. His explanation is as follows:

"Due to the fact that the information on common information days, citizens continue to raise the same questions that have been repeatedly covered by the national, regional and district printed press, the Lida district executive committee drew the attention of people in charge to the need to intensify the subscription campaign at enterprises.

An organization of the subscription campaign promotes information work with the population on a higher level", it is said in the reply.

Such way of subscription is absolutely illegal.

"Now we plan to address the Prosecutor’s Office of the Hrodna region to conduct an inspection.

Bureaucrats wrote that there were requirements mentioned in the law towards necessity to subscribe to state printed press. Therefore, in our opinion, officials absolutely illegally force people to subscribe to state press, violating the equality of economic conditions in the media", Haretski believes.

The representative of the BAJ says that people should not be afraid. And should write a complaint if they are forced to subscribe. Next time bureaucrats will think a little before making such orders, Haretski is convinced.

No Subscription - An Ideologue Will Pay

Mandatory subscriptions have a long story in Belarus. Anatol, former employee of one of state-owned newspapers, tell about the scheme in Brest:

"Once a quarter deputy chairman put all heads of the largest enterprises in the city, heads of departments of education and editors of state newspapers together. They report on the subscription campaign. Every ideologue is obliged to perform subscription, for example, to 100 copies of Sovetskaya Belorussiya, 50 copies of Brest Vestnik and 30 copies of Zvezda. There were cases when ideologues who failed had to pay for subscription on their own."

According to the source, the subscription plan was carried out by 100%.

The entire public sector is subject to mandatory subscription. For example, contract soldiers have to subscribe to "Vo Slavu Rodiny".

"It is easier to subscribe to it and pay 32 rubles in six months. No one even tries to resist," a military man says.

Teachers and parents of students are forced to subscribe to the state printed press. Mother of three children Lyudmila Dolhava tells:

"Parents are constantly invited to join the subscription campaign. I can agree with it, it is hard to have a laptop with you all the time to read news. Newspapers are stored in a classroom and can be taken at any moment.

But what is offered to subscription raises claims. Brest Vestnik or Yunyj Spasatel, for example. The latest issue is a good newspaper for children of 8-10 years old, but not for graduates."

Brest Vestnik is not a very good newspaper for students. The woman says that teachers understand the claim, but can do nothing. Teachers themselves complain that they are forced to subscribe to Nastaunitskaya newspaper and buy lottery tickets.