CPJ: “We call upon Charhinets to drop the case”

The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply worried about a defamation lawsuit by a Belarusian senior government official Mikalay Charhinets (Cherginets) against the independent weekly Novy Chas in the capital, Minsk. A ruling against the paper would bankrupt Novy Chas and force it to shut down, according to local CPJ sources. It has been stated in the statement of the CPJ on December 17.