Horki entrepreneur and public activist Dziamian Frankouski fined BYR 600,000

08.06.2006.

The trial took place on June 6, as reported by Assembly of NGOs press-service. The cause for the verdict was a check carried out by Tax inspection in his shop at the local market. It is the only place in Horki where Belhazeta and Narodnaia volia are sold. There one can also obtain free issues of Narodnaia volia, Belarusian communists newspaper Tovarishch, different bulletins etc. The shop had been checked by the police and other officials for a couple of times before. Each time it was the independent press date-lines that were checked. Besides, Frankouski was advised to stop selling them. According to him, the latest check-up was the authorities revenge for the entrepreneurs conscious activity.

Mr. Frankouski is the leader of the local social democrats, adherents of A.Kazulin, and takes active part in various public campaigns. He thinks that Belarusian authorities deliberately create harsh conditions for private merchants, with intent to reduce the number of distributors of independent press. For instance, close to the election taxation procedures for entrepreneurs selling newspapers were considerably complicated. After that three out of five newspaper sellers in Horki stopped their commerce.