Cartoons Scandal Has Got to Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

On February 21 the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Belarus issued a statement concerning an article “Political creative works”, illustrated by cartoons, including an image of Prophet Muhammad, in the newspaper “Zhoda” of February 18-26.

“This publication has an openly provocative character. The cartoons have been reprinted from Western newspapers by an independent newspaper, and they run counter to the policy of official Belarusian authorities,” the statement reads. “According to the information the Foreign Affairs Ministry has, the materials concerning reprinting cartoons by this newspaper have been submitted to the prosecutor’s office by Information Ministry of the Republic of Belarus,” the press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry informs.

“Publication of cartoons had been made in my absence and without my sanction” told the editor-in-chief of the “Zhoda” to the BelaPAN Alyaksei Karol. “A punishment has been inflicted upon the deputy editor. I stopped distribution of this newspaper issue. Only a part of circulation had been distributed. There is nothing in the article’s text which is mentioned by the Foreign Ministry’s statement. We have told about our position in the newspaper already: we respect all believes”.

At the moment the “Zhoda” has a circulation of 5,050 copies. Since January the newspaper has been denied delivery via state subscription and retail network.