News on the topic: freedom of expression
09.03.2010 First detention for election postcards ‘Tell The Truth’
Civil activists Mikhail Bashura, Volha Mikitsenka and Vasil Busel were detained in Minsk when they were carrying postcards of the civil campaign Tell The Truth.
15.01.2010 Lukashenka creates special secret service for Internet
The Operating and Analytical centre under the president is given the right to control online correspondence of Belarusians and monitor which websites they browse.
12.01.2010 Authorities disrupt round table on unlawful Internet restrictions
The Belarusian Language Society (BLS) named after Francysk Skaryna received a warning of the Ministry of Justice saying that discussion of draft decrees of Lukashenka contradicts to the organization’s charter.
11.01.2010 ’Reporters Without Borders’ is worried about the government’s plans to tighten control of the Internet
Reporters Without Borders is worried about the government’s plans to tighten control of the Internet in a country where free expression is already restricted. President Alexander Lukashenko acknowledged on 30 December that his government is putting the final touches to a bill to this effect. The draft decree was leaked to the media on December 14, 2009. The discussions around it remain secret.
15.12.2009 Belarusian authorities prepare decree on Internet limitations
Nasha Niva newspaper received a draft decree On measures for revising the use of the national segment of the World Wide Web.
12.11.2009 Ministry of Information denied registration to ‘Prefekt Plus’ newspaper
As the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, this is the sixth registration denial to ‘unreliable’ media outlets for the last three months. On 10 November the founder of the regional newspaper Prefekt Plus (the town of Hlybokae, Vitsebsk oblast) was returned the document he had sent to the ministry for the official registration on 7 October.
11.11.2009 Road police try to hinder activities of ‘BelSat’ film crew
A film crew of Belsat TV channel came to Navahradak on 11 November to shot an item about the monument to Lenin poured with paint.
06.11.2009 Biaroza: journalists detained at ‘Nioman’ glass plant
Policemen detained journalists Aloaksandr Dzianisau and Aliaksandr Khilimon at the glass plant Nioman.
05.11.2009 ‘BelSat’ director not let in Belarus again
Agzieszka Romaszewska, who was going to Minsk on the invitation of the organizers of Minsk Forum XII on 4 November as a guest of honor, was denied the Belarusian visa.
04.11.2009 Authorities threaten to mass media for writing about swine flu in Belarus
Officials of the Information Ministry will keep a close watch on what is written about flu outbreak by registered media outlets and their websites.
15.10.2009 Pukhavichy authorities create obstacles to ‘Maryinahorskaya Hazeta’
KGB presses on entrepreneurs cooperating with independent mass media. A private entrepreneur from Maryina Horka (the Pukhavichy district) has to cancel the rental contract with Maryinahorskaya Hazeta under pressure of the local authorities. On 2 October the newspaper submitted the document for registration to the Ministry of Information.
07.10.2009 Barysau: independent journalist lost the trial
On 7 October in the morning Barysau district court pronounced the verdict on the honor and dignity protection lawsuit of V.Pratasevich, editor of the newspaper of Barysau executive committee Adzinstva against the Bukas Media Center enterprise and the journalist V.Nikitski.
07.10.2009 Belarusian-language program dropped from air on 'Unistar' radio
The leadership of Unistar radio decided to take off the air Viktar Syamashka’s program Novaya Ziamlia, the only Belarusian-language program on this radio that could be heard since 1995, udf.by reports.
06.10.2009 ‘Autoradio’ gets warned for joint project with European Radio for Belarus
On 30 September 2009 the management of Autoradio FM-radio station from Minsk received an official warning from the Ministry of Information for ‘non-fulfillment of creative concept of broadcasting’.
01.10.2009 Minsk: journalists are detained while performing their professional duties
The leader of the Communist Party of Belarus Siarhei Kaliakin was detained while handing out Tovarishch newspaper near the entrance of Minsk Tractor Plant.
