KGB presses on entrepreneurs cooperating with independent mass media
7- 14.10.2009, 14:56
Private entrepreneur from Maryina Horka (the Pukhavichy district) cancels rental contract with “Maryinahorskaya Hazeta” under pressure of the local authorities.
The newspaper applied for registration to the Ministry of Information on October 2.
The BAJ press service learnt this from Volha Kulchanka, the founder and director of the private printing company “Telegraf-Info”. This legal entity acts as the editorial staff of the newspaper.
The lessor told on October 14 that the Pukhavichy executive committee made them cancel the leasing contract on the ground of “financial insolvency” of the lessee. The final payment date was on October 10, but there was an oral arrangement with the lessor to extend a term for some days. However, he had to suppress under pressure of officials. The lessor suffered inspections by the sanitation station, fire emergency service, he was called for a conversation with the ideological department of the district executive committee, he received phone calls from the KGB with a question why he had done that.
The newspaper is described in the documents for registration as a public and political edition. “Maryinahorskaya Hazeta” had a circulation of 299 copies this year, it was printed on 16 A3 pages. According to Volha Kulchanka, the newspaper has raised acute issues several times.
The email box of “Maryinahorskaya Hazeta” was broken in summer. Having found out who was the editor, the secret services began to show keen interest in their activity. Editor-in-chief Stsyapan Kulchanka was summoned to the KGB several times.
The newspaper, which documents are being considered by the Ministry of Information for several weeks, was deprived of the registered seat. Under the law, the documents for registration must be considered within a month, so the editorial staff is looking for a new statutory seat. “it doesn’t matter where to have the registered seat. The main thing is to continue the process of the newspaper registration,” Volha Kulchanka said.
