Independent Editors Protest Pahonya’s Shutdown :: Charter'97 :: News

Verdict against newspaper Pahonya was passed on November 12, 2001 by the judge of the Supreme Economic Court Valery Zhandarov. In this connection, editors of the leading Belarusian periodicals addressed the chairman of the Supreme Economic Court Kamenkov and the procuracy officials, pleading with them to carry out justice and invalidate the decision of judge Zhandarov.

“We believe that the newspaper Pahonya’s closure and liquidation of the editorial board is yet another step to annihilating the freedom of speech and strangling the independent press,” – reads the statement. “It looks so cynical when the repressions occur amid declaratory statements of the authorities about the liberalization of the public, political and economic situation in Belarus.

Considering the SEC decision groundless, we address its chair Kamenkov and leading procuracy officials with a request to restore justice and nullify judge Zhandarov’s decision.

Proclaiming their commitment to the universal democratic values, all branches of the Belarusian authorities have to stick to the norms, accepted by the international community.

Chief editors of the newspapers:

“Narodnaya Volya” – Iosif SEREDICH;

“Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta” – Petr MARTSEV;

“Nasha Svaboda” – Pavel ZHOUK;

“Svobodnye Novosti” – Alexander ULITENOK;

“Dyen” – Alexander TOMKOVICH;

“Rabochy” – Viktor IVASHKEVICH;

“Belarussky Chas” – Alexander STARIKEVICH;

“Belarussky Rynok” – Vyacheslav KHODOSOVSKY.”