Svetlahorsk District Consumer Society Refused to Sell “Region-vesti” Newspaper

05.11.2003.

Radio “Liberty”

Svetlahorsk District Consumer Society started to sell the independent newspaper “Region-vesti” at about 30 of 60 its shops in the beginning of September. However, Head of the consumer society Tamara Kandrashova suddenly refused to sell the newspaper in the shops.

T. Kandrashova explained to Mikalay Pasedzka, editor of the newspaper, that the newspaper was too expensive for villagers (though it cost 300 rubles only).

The editor sees another reason for this refusal. Head of Svetlahorsk District Executive Committee Baliaslaw Pirshtuk came to a shop in the village of Chyrkavichy. He got disgruntled to see the independent newspaper in a village shop. That’s why he summoned Tamara Kandrashova and ordered her to remove the newspaper from the shops.

The independent newspaper has troubles not only with distribution, but with printing as well. The State printing houses of Svetlahorsk, Rechytsa, Mazyr, Zhlobin and Babruysk have recently refused to print it. So, now it is printed in Minsk printing house “Svetach”.