Polskie Radio: Blocking of the Charter Jeopardises National Interests of Belarus

The blockade of an independent portal Charter97.org is an extremely dangerous precedent, which requires international response and solidarity, the report of Polskie Radio says.

The editorial office of "Charter-97" holds the campaign to unblock the site. After persecutions and arrests of journalists, including the editor-in-chief Natallia Radzina, the editorial office had to leave Belarus in 2010. The Belarusian authorities can't influence the work of the site, but the price of it is emigration. The editor-in-chief of Charter97.org can't return to Belarus, Polskie Radio informs.

The world's leading media wrote about the brocking of the site. "Charter-97" covers events in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Western countries. The independent site provides with unbiased information about the crisis in Ukraine, the policy line of Russia, the country which is filled with the Kremlin propaganda.

Natallia Radzina assumes that the Belarusian authorities have scared of the protest spring. It could be one of reasons to block the Charter.

The independent site working from Warsaw should not take into account the opinion of the authorities. It openly criticizes the regime of Lukashenka, writes about the activity of the democratic opposition, the assistance of the West to the Belarusian democracy, Polskie Radio points out.

The editor-in-chief of "Charter-97" believes that the website will be unblocked against everything. The blocking of the site indicates that Lukashenka is ready to ruin independent media in Belarus and surrender the information space to the Kremlin.

Radzina stresses that the blocking is politically motivated:

- The authorities just want to crack down on the most popular independent portal in Belarus. Lukashenka fears of free speech. Therefore, he's decided to block Charter97.org. It is done before the incoming of spring, which has promised to be hot for the Belarusian authorities, the editor-in-chief of Charter-97 stresses.

Belarusians have easily learned how to bypass the blocking using special programs and anonymizers. Even those who have never used such tools learn fast:

- Despite the blocking, the site remains the leader among Belarusian independent media, Natallia Radzina pointed out.

The chief editor stresses that the site needs international solidarity.

Pickets in support of "Charter-97" are being carried out. Residents of Hrodna were the first to defend the independent site: activists handed out leaflets describing how to bypass the blocking. A street march is announced in Homel, graffiti with words of support and solidarity appear in Minsk.

- Poland's assistance is crucial, de facto independent media can't operate in Belarus. The secret of the popularity of the website is that it calls things by their proper names.

We cry for solidarity now. Poles have always fought for freedom; this is their peculiar feature. Today we ask Poles to remember those hard times and help us with this fight, the editor-in-chief of Charter97.org says.

The world's leading media - American, European, Russian and Ukrainian - have written about the blocking of Charter97.org. Even Malaysia is informed.

The OSCE representative called on the Belarusian authorities to restore access to the portal immediately.

All the world's leading human rights organizations made statements.

The chief editor of the website notes that the blocking of the site is a very unsafe precedent, as it works in favor of the Kremlin and jeopardises the independence of Belarus.

There are no independent TV channels and radio stations in Belarus. The Russian propaganda enjoys huge investments, and Belarusians chose the Russian media with lots of serials, talk-shows, televison programs of good quality.

It means an increased influence of the Russian propaganda on people's minds:

- Before the blocking of "Charter-97" the Internet used to be the space with a certain equality: half of users serfed Russian sites, others turned to Belarusian ones.

The blocking of Charter97.org means that the meaning of the Belarusian segment sharply decreases. The data prove the outflow of readers from the Belarusian segment. Lukashenka has violated the information safety of Belarus, the editor-in-chief of Charter97.org says.

In the long view it means that Belarus will fall under a total control of the Kremlin.

- If this scenario comes true, one can say about the threat to Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States. The military aggression against these countries has already been worked out during exercises "West-2017" carried out in Belarus, Natallia Radzina says.

Thanks to the work of a small team, the total number of monthly views of the website equals to 50 million. Every month the site is visited by about 2.5 million unique users.

The editorial office left Belarus in 2010, as soon as a real war against the site was launched: four criminal cases, confiscation of equipment, beating of journalists. In September 2010 the founder of the site Aleh Byabenin was murdered near Minsk.

After presidential elections in December 2010 followed by arrests of opposition members, the special services ruined the editorial office in Minsk. Almost all journalists and the chief editor found themselves in the KGB prison:

- I was served charges and could face up to 15 years in prison. When I was released under recognizance not to leave, I had to escape without my passport. However, we managed to restore the work of the site, and in 2012 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland invited us to work in Warsaw, Natallia Radzina tells.

The editor-in-chief of the website "Charter-97" calls to keep up the pressure on the official Minsk:

- The blocking of the site will cost the Belarusian authorities dear. Every attack on freedom of speech and human rights bears severe consequences, Natallia Radzina states.