Authorities throw “Gazeta Slonimskaya” out on the street

Viktar Valadashchuk, editor-in-chief of “Gazeta Slonimskaya,” was offered to take away a lease statement.

On 29 May the head of the Slonim service center signed Viktar Valadashchuk’s application for renewing the lease for a month, Radio Svaboda reports.

The administration of the service center warned that abolish the editor’s office lease for from 1 June. According to Viktar Valadashchuk, even private owners do not always have offices for leasing. The editor’s office has nowhere to move to.

Commenting on the decision of the lessor, Viktar Valadashchuk points attention that an order to abolish lease was received form the Slonim district executive committee. A secretary from the receiving office of the service center explained it.

“They say we should solve our problems on economic level, but give other orders on the quiet,” the journalist says.

The editor-in-chief is sure they will hardly change the decision. What concerns the newspaper, Mr Valadashchuk thinks they will manage to publish it. But he can’t say what the future of the edition is, because they have no place to move office equipment and other things to.

“Gazeta Slonimskaya” is the only independent printed editions in the Hrodna region that has recently faced enormous pressure of the authorities.

In late April editor-in-chief Viktar Valadashchuk was drafted for military training. A notice of withdrawal of the lease contract was sent to the office. It says the staff should vacate the office, they have leased fort many years.

The editorial staff is also deprived of retail trade license that can cause problems with the delivering of the newspaper. In May the chief doctor of the psychoneurological department of the central district hospital received a letter, signed by Alyaksandr Mazalkou, head of the Local KGB office, saying to learn if Viktar Valadashchuk and his relatives are registered in the psychoneurological and detoxication centers.