Pro-regime mass media fling mud at businessmen

Court proceedings in a case of state newspaper “Nash Kraj” Mikalay Khudzenka and the newspaper itself have been postponed again in Baranavichy.

A businessman Mikola Charnavus, who had been registered as a candidate for deputy in Baranavichy’s Western constituency No. 53, has addressed the court with a suit against a reporter of the state-run newspaper “Nash kraj” Mikalay Khudzenka. In one of its issues the newspaper insulted M. Charnavus for his addressing on behalf of his colleagues the Ukrainian Embassy and Prime Minister and asked them to open wholesale markets at the border of Belarus and Ukraine, so it would be easier for businessmen to work. And Khudzenka tendentiously and in a hot-spirited tone rendered that material, “Human rights activists for free elections” inform.

For the first time the court was postponed because m Khudzenka was on holiday. On September 8 judge Iryna Kulberda looked through documents of the defendant and decided to postpone the session of the court again.

As Mikola Charnavus thinks, it has been done in order to prevent him from defending his position and reputation between voters, the trial has been postponed to September 30, and it would take place after the elections.

“The aim of the newspaper and the journalist is to fling mud at the candidate, and it has been achieved. I won’t be able to wash myself clean before elections,” the human rights activists believe.