NO DECISION ON NOVAYA GAZETA KRYCHAVA SUIT

25.09.2003.

On September 23 Mahilow economic court was to decide the fate of Novaya Gazeta Krychava independent edition. Entrepreneur Andrei Kuzmin filed a suit against Krychaw district executive committee claiming they refused to approve the legal address of the editorial office.
Judge Ivan Matulkow did not make a decision on the suit. He claimed the entrepreneur allegedly failed to follow pretrial procedures and left the suit without official hearing. However, before the trial he considered the situation around the new project of the newspaper in detail.

Andrei Kuzmin is a private entrepreneur with a publishing license. He applied to Krychaw authorities for approval of the legal address of the newspaper office.

Mahilow economic court did not manage to make a decision on the suit of Novaya Gazeta Krychava independent newspaper. He planned to locate the office in his own private house.
Krychaw authorities refused Kuzmin twice. First they required him to have publishing license. When Kuzmin got the license they refused him again referring to the Housing Code: according to the officials an editorial office cannot be located in a private house. Andrei Kuzmin accused the executive committee in procrastination and unwillingness to register the newspaper.
The officials failed to answer the judge’s question why they cannot or do not want to register the edition and who is disturbed by an information and advertising edition.
Andrei Kuzmin believes the authorities do not want to register his newspaper as it is a potential competitor for the state-owned newspaper, published by the executive committee.

Information Department of the Human Rights Center "Viasna"