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Harassed
March 19
Nikolai Galko, Narodnaya Gazeta, HARASSED
Galko, editor of the parliamentary daily Narodnaya Gazeta, was fired by order of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The president cited Galko's "failure to carry out his duties" as the reason for his dismissal. One year earlier, on March 17, 1995, Galko's predecessor, Iosif Seredich, was dismissed by the president for "inciting violence and political unrest." Narodnaya Gazeta is known for its criticism of the president's policies and its liberal slant.
May 3
Alexander Kushner, Free-lance photographer, HARASSED
Alexander Stupnikov and crew, NTV, ATTACKED, CENSORED
Leonid Sveridov, Russian State Television (RTR), HARASSED
Government security agents harassed and attacked several journalists who were covering May Day rallies in Minsk attended by opposition leaders and Communist and trade union activists. Members of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's security detail stopped Kushner, a free-lance photographer, as he was attempting to photograph them and exposed his film. Stupnikov, a correspondent for the independent news television station NTV, was stopped by plainclothes agents who refused to present identification. The men attacked Stupnikov's crew, beating one cameraman until a crowd began to gather. As a result, NTV was unable to file a story about the rally. As he was driving home from the event, Sveridov, an RTR correspondent, was followed by several men driving in a car with tinted windows. The driver of the car cut him off and forced him to stop. The men got out and showed Sveridov their identification so quickly that he was unable to read it. They threatened to smash his windows unless he got out of his car. He refused to cooperate, and eventually they drove away. Shortly thereafter, Sveridov interviewed the deputy head of President Lukashenka's administration, Uladimir Zamyatalin, who told him that Russian television companies were filing "inflammatory reports" and that "the most serious measures would be taken."
August 19
Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION
Belaruskaya Gazeta, HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION
Belaruski Rynok, HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION
Imya, HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION
Nasha Niva, HARASSED
Narodnaya Volya, HARASSED
Semida, HARASSED
Svaboda, HARASSED, LEGAL ACTION
Svabodnie Novosti Plus, HARASSED
BelaPAN, HARASSED
Minsk Economic News, HARASSED
Tax authorities began imposing penalties, including stiff fines, on Belarus' leading independent or opposition weekly newspapers for alleged tax infractions. As of November, at least nine newspapers had been affected: Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta (BDG), Belaruskaya Gazeta, Belaruski Rynok, Imya, Nasha Niva, Narodnaya Volya, Semida, Svaboda, and Svabodnie Novosti Plus. BelaPAN, the country's only independent news agency, was subjected to a tax inspection, and another weekly, Minsk Economic News, the only English-language newspaper in Belarus, was warned that it, too, would be penalized by the tax inspectorate. BDG, Belaruskaya Gazeta, Belaruski Rynok, Imya, and Svaboda were handed fines ranging from 600 million to 2 billion Belarusian rubles (approximately US$42,000 to $118,000), and their bank accounts were temporarily frozen. Officials charged BDG and other newspapers with writing off unsold copies as a loss, instead of reporting them as a "hidden source of profit." Imya was penalized for taking cash directly from subscribers, rather than following the usual procedure of having the post office accept the subscription payments, but authorities had already prohibited the post office from assuming that function. BDG and others managed to get their accounts released on Sept. 10, but they still must pay the fines. Some of the papers have appealed to the Supreme Economic Court to overturn the fines. Most of the newspapers continued to publish in spite of the penalties, but those with frozen bank accounts had no funds to buy newsprint and faced the depletion of their stocks within a few issues. Although Belarusian law prohibits employers from withholding payrolls even when the government has suspended the employers' accounts, at least one paper was unable to pay its workers. All opposition papers in Belarus continued to have difficulties distributing their publications through state-run kiosks and were forced to use unauthorized vendors. CPJ on Sept. 11 wrote to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to express concern about the government crackdown.
November 19
NTV, CENSORED
ORT, HARASSED, CENSORED
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka issued a decree cutting off the transmission lines connecting the Russian public television channel ORT and the Russian independent channel NTV with Belarus. Lukashenka justified the move by saying that the Russian channels were not objective in their news coverage. The restrictions were removed later the same day. ORT earlier had been ordered by the Belarusian Television and Radio Co. to vacate the Minsk studio it rents from the company by Nov. 10. Local ORT correspondent Pavel Sheremet and his staff refused to leave the premises because ORT's contract was valid until Dec. 31. CPJ appealed to Lukashenka on Nov. 18 to cease any further harassment of the press.
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