English

Closure suit against Narodnaya Volya dropped

The information ministry withdrew its suit seeking the closure of Narodnaya Volya on Wednesday, one day after it dropped a similar suit against another private newspaper critical of the government.

Speaking at a hearing in the Supreme Economic Court, a representative of the information ministry asked the court to close the proceedings, saying that the ministry was withdrawing the suit. Judge Alena Mayorava granted the request.

Commenting on the withdrawal of the suit, Narodnaya Volya Editor-in-Chief Iosif Syaredzich said that the authorities had apparently opted for punishing the paper through economic methods rather than closing it down. He announced that the paper was facing heavy fines for alleged violations of the Media Law.

Mr. Syaredzich expressed certainty that Narodnaya Volya fully complied with professional journalism standards and laws. "One cannot be more cautious [than Narodnaya Volya]. Of course, the editor must take into consideration certain circumstances, but I cannot assume the duties of censor. We have acted and will continue acting professionally," the veteran journalist said.

On July 12, the information ministry dropped its closure suit against the newspaper Nasha Niva.

The suit was withdrawn “because of a request from the editorial staff of the publication and the possibility of a non-judicial settlement of the situation,” the minister said, noting that the ministry was guided by the principles of media freedom.

Nonetheless, the ministry stressed, the ministry’s warnings and suit against Nasha Niva were well-founded and in compliance with the Media Law.

“The information ministry calls on all media outlets operating in Belarus to strictly abide by laws and be guided by the professional ethics of journalism and generally recognized moral standards,” the ministry said.

The ministry filed the suits in April, making use of regulations providing that a publication may be closed down by a court decision if it has received two or more formal warnings from the information ministry within a year. Narodnaya Volya and Nasha Niva had received four and three warnings, respectively, within a year.