Summary of the media situation for the year 2004

By the end of 2004 there were 1,221 registered print media outlets in Belarus. (784 newspapers, 395 magazines, 38 bulletins, 2 catalogues and 2 almanacs) (http://mininform.gov.by/data/main/massmedia/digital/stat). As of December 1, 2004 there were 1,255 media outlets, which means that within one month 22 newspapers, 11 magazines and 1 bulletin disappeared. In comparison with November 2003, when Belarus had 1,492 media outlets (including news agencies), the quantity of print mass media outlets has reduced even more drastically - by 118 newspapers, 125 magazines and 19 bulletins.

For the first time in recent years the number of print mass-media registered in Belarus has begun to decline. (Until now the dynamics were the opposite; for example, in 1995 there were 721 periodicals in the country, and in June 2003 - 1472 periodicals). In 2004 the ministry of information applied a record number of sanctions on newspapers: it issued 160 written warnings to 81 periodicals and suspended the activities of 25 media outlets.

As of January 1, 2005 there were 200 radio and TV channels in the country, including 149 radio stations and 51 TV channels. The number of electronic media outlets, as opposed to those in the print media has increased by 18 due to an increase in the number of TV channels in comparison with November 2003.

Out of 149 radio channels, 130 are state-owned and 19 are non-state owned, including 19 in Minsk, 23 in the Minsk region, 22 in Vitebsk, 20 in Brest, 19 in Grodno, 21 in Mogilev and 25 in Gomel). Out of 51 TV channels, 26 are state-owned, and 25 are non-state owned (including 12 in Minsk, 3 in the Minsk region, 12 in Vitebsk, 9 in Brest, 6 in Gomel, 5 in Mogilev and 4 in Grodno). (http://mininform.gov.by/data/main/massmedia/digital/condition)

As of January 1, 2005 there were 108 cable television operators on the territory of the country with corresponding licenses from the ministries of communications and information. (including 11 in Minsk, 14 in the Minsk region, 21 in Brest, 13 in Vitebsk, 12 in Gomel, 24 in Grodno and 14 in Mogilev) (http://mininform.gov.by/data/main/massmedia/digital/condition)

In addition, 9 news agencies operate in the country. In comparison with November 2003 their number has grown by one agency.

According to the ministry of information, more than two-thirds of the registered publications are privately owned. However, the statistical data of the ministry shows the tendency to reduce the private sector and expand the state sector. For example, in November 2003 there were 116 periodicals in Belarus founded by ministries and institutions; by January 1, 2005 their number has grown to 122. In the same period, the number of mass media outlets founded by NGO's has reduced from 130 to 115, and those founded by citizens - from 462 to 396.

In the field of electronic mass media, the quantitative advantage of the state sector is obvious. According to the ministry of information, today there are 160 state radio and TV stations in Belarus, and only 40 non-state stations. (In November, 2003 there were 120 state electronic media outlets in Belarus and 62 non-state ones).

In 2004 the national budget allocated USD 29.75 million for the funding of the state mass media, which is almost USD 2.5 million less than in 2003 (USD 32.28 million). The financing of periodicals and publishing houses was set at USD 5.15 million, as compared to USD 6.25 million in 2002.

The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi (circulation of the Friday issue at the end of the year - 325 000) and Sovietskaya Belorussiya (circulation of the Friday issue - almost 402 000) enjoyed the highest print runs in 2004. Sovietskaya Belorussiya was co-founded by the Administration of the President, which, in compliance with the President's order to reach a circulation of 500 000 in 2004-2005, ensures the growth of its circulation by relying on administrative resources and carrying out "subscription campaigns". At the end of 2004 the number of subscribers reached 311, 200.

General review of media situation

The main factor which impacted on the functioning of the media sector in 2004 was the high political activity of the authorities and their opponents throughout the year in relation to the referendum on the issue of the third presidential term. In the background of the general reduction of the financing of the state mass media was the aspiration of the authorities to control the information flow, which resulted in extremely rigid administrative regulations in the sphere of mass information.

The reduction of the number of registered publications has taken place not so much because of adverse economic conditions in the country in general, but mainly as a result of the efforts of the state to restrain the development of the print media sector. On the one hand, the ministry of information cancelled certificates of registration of the publications which had not been published for one year; on the other hand, the number of newly registered mass-media has considerably decreased. Often the registration of new publications became impossible after the refusal of local authorities to coordinate the accommodations of editorial offices.

The reduction of the number of print mass media outlets has narrowed the labor market for journalists.

The year 2004 was characterized by the intervention of authorities in the creative activities of publications and the suspension of activities of non-state print media outlets. The majority of such cases took place during the election campaign and the referendum. It was done following written warnings for minor infringements of legislation by newspapers (for example, for changing the legal address or format of the newspaper, infringements in the standard of the dateline).

On May 1st subscriptions to periodicals became a licensed activity, giving the state more control over the distribution of the print mass media publications and providing additional benefits to the state distribution monopoly "Belpochta", since subscriptions in the editorial offices and private companies has been almost one third cheaper than those of "Belpochta". By the beginning of June a number of private distributors faced serious difficulties in receiving such licenses.

When carrying out the "subscription campaigns" local authorities sent instructions to heads of local enterprises and organizations in which they specified the titles of the newspapers for which it was necessary to order subscription and the deadlines by which it was necessary to present the results to the ideological departments of the executive committees. As a rule, such letters mentioned Sovietskaya Belorussiya and a local state newspaper.

The sphere of electronic mass-media in Belarus almost completely belongs to the state, while the private sector in TV and radio broadcasting is insignificant. Official statistics ignore the concepts of a TV channel and a radio station exclusively using the concept of a program (which does not specify if it is a full format channel or station or about a 15-minute program broadcast twice a week).

In 2004 in Belarus there were 4 national television channels: BT, "Lad" (both part of the national state broadcasting company), ONT (Joint-Stock Company the Second National Channel) and STV (Joint-Stock Company Capital TV). The state regulations mainly concern the activities of local operators of cable networks. The tool of this regulation was the so-called social and expanded packages of TV channels.

The ministry of information has received the authority to approve the social package (obligatory for broadcasting by all operators of cable networks) and to coordinate the so-called "expanded package" from mid-2003. Since January 1, 2004 all of the above mentioned Belarusian TV channels, plus Russian channels RTR and NTV have been included in the social package authorized by the Ministry.

Restrictions aimed at the reduction of information influence to a greater degree concerned Russian channels (the jamming of the broadcasting of some information programs was widely practiced), and in the Grodno and Brest regions neighboring with Poland it also concerned Polish channels.

In the beginning of the year the management of the national state broadcasting company was changed. In February, Egor Rybakou, the chairman, was accused of receiving bribes on a large scale and was arrested. In late March President Lukashenka appointed Vladimir Matvejchuk to substitute him. Before that Matvejchuk had never had any relation to the mass media. Justifying his decision, the president said that the greatest problems of the company were in the field of management.

At the end of the year, Lukaschenka initiated an increase in the obligatory quota of broadcasting of Belarusian music from 50% to 75%. Nevertheless, it has not affected in any way the ban on the broadcasting of many Belarusian bands.

December 2004 monitoring

The subscription campaign for the first half of 2005 finished in December. A number of non-governmental publishers of social and political newspapers were not permitted to promote their periodicals at the post-offices and on public transportation. At the same time the executive authorities obliged both public and private enterprises and organizations to subscribe to state publications.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists has received several copies of documents, proving the active use of administration resources in the course of the recent subscription campaign.

On November 26, 2004, the Piershamajski City District Administration of Minsk addressed official letters to the heads of organizations and enterprises, asking them "to increase by three times subscriptions to Sovietskaya Belorussiya in order "to significantly extend the circulation of the main nation-wide newspaper in 2005".

Referring to a letter from the Presidential Administration dated November 12, 2004, the district "state vertical" head Mr. Skakun made the organization directors responsible for subscribing to such state periodical as Minski Courier, Respublika, Zvyazda, Narodnaya Gazeta, Znamya Yunosti, Belorusskaya Niva, 7 Dniej, and Belaruskaya Dumka.

Mr. Pancialiej, the Kastrychnicki City District Administration head appealed in a similar letter to the heads of organizations and enterprises, located in his district. The state official urged the organization directors to subscribe to at least one copy of Sovietskaya Belorussiya and Minski Courier per organization. He demanded information on subscription activities by December 17, 2004.
The Barysau City Executive Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the city organizations' subscription activities. Mr. S. Trusau, acting head of the City Executive Committee, urged organization directors to liven up subscriptions to the state supported newspapers Adzinstva, Sovietskaya Belorussiya, Respublika, Zvyazda, Narodnaya Gazeta, Belorusskaya Niva, 7 Dniej, Minskaya Prauda and the magazines Naviny Tydnia and Problemy Upravlenija.
As for the independent press, Mr. Trusau advised the directors of the city enterprises "to exclude subscriptions to such periodicals from the budget funds" and threatened the addressees with "personal responsibility for non-observance of his instructions" ("The black list" of non-governmental publications included Belorusskaya Gazeta, Narodnaya Volya, Belorussky Rynok, Izvestiya and other independent periodicals).

The Homel Regional Executive Committee sent out similar instructions to the organizations and enterprises, located its region.
Some Belpochta employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the postmen were made to complete the lists of all enterprises that subscribed to the specified non-governmental publications.

According to information from reliable sources, a wide number of public libraries were forbidden to subscribe to non-governmental newspapers in 2005.
Yauhienija Cierakhava, the Commercial Director of the Narodnaya Volya Unitary Enterprise stated that from autumn 2004 the newspaper had not been allowed to place ads in post offices. Both the Minsk Underground and Minsk Trans refused to place newspaper ads in the rolling stock. The situation was similar in all Belarusian regions.
The heads of all enterprises and organizations located in the Maskouski City District of Brest received a letter from the City District Administration head Mr. Abramchuk urging them to subscribe to Sovietskaya Belorussiya (one copy per organization). The enterprise and organization heads were obliged to inform the District Administration on the results of the subscription activity by December 23, 2004.
In December Aliaksandar Silich, Narodnaya Volya deputy editor-in-chief, asked for political asylum in Belgium. This information was confirmed by Halina Maciushyna, coordinator of Solidarity Federation that unites asylum groups from Eastern European countries, including Belarus.

According to Ms. Maciushyna, Mr. Silich is currently staying at a camp for refugees. His appeal is being considered by the International Committee on Refugees as well as by the Belgian Ministries of Internal and Foreign Affairs.
Maciushyna believes Silich's appeal will be approved because he is a very famous person in Belarus. The coordinators of the Belarusian Centre in Belgium hope the editor's experience and abilities will help to intensify the group's activities.

Silich claimed that he had experienced systematic pressure on the part of the Belarusian authorities. In her interview to Radio Liberty, Ala Silich, the journalist's wife said her husband was in danger, as their house and phones were constantly under surveillance. According to Mrs. Silich, this started two years ago. On September 17, 2002, Silich asked Lukashenka if he had an off-budget presidential fund. He also wondered why all information on the shadow fund was closed to the public and asked if money from the sale of weapons was transferred to the secret fund. Lukashenka retorted that he hadn't any personal funds at all.

Currently, Narodnaya Volya is the only daily non-governmental social and political publication in Belarus. It has a circulation of 30,000.
On November 30th Brest cable operators stopped broadcasting three Polish TV channels (TVP-1, TVP-2, POLSTAT) after receiving a letter from the ministry of information, signed by the Vice-minister Syarhey Bulacki.
The ministry warned the operators that they were in violation of the Regulations "On TV and Radio Receivers." Ministry officials claimed that the Brest cable channels had carried out "unsanctioned broadcasting of Polish TV channels... not approved by Belarus' Ministry of Information." The letter stated that if the regulations were to be violated again, the ministry of information would request that the ministry of communication annul the operator's licenses.
On December 2, 2004, the UCP web site was blocked for twelve hours. "The unknown... used holes in the site security system," reports UCP Press Service.
According to the UCP Press Service, the site has approximately 800-1,000 hits per day. "We understand who will benefit from having alternative points of view on political and economical problems in Belarus hushed up. There have been attempts to destroy our web site before, but we keep working, and this will remain so in the future," stated the Press Service.
"It wasn't a surprise for us to learn of the declarations from the West regarding the information war against Belarus", stated the Minister of Information Ul. Rusakevich to the "Interfax" News Agency on December 6, 2004. According to him, "Belarusian authorities know about the grants, appropriated in support of the non-governmental press as well as about the coming installation of wireless transmitters directed at Belarus from the neighboring states."

The minister noted that he didn't find it possible to sell state-supported periodicals to private owners in order to develop the newspaper market in the country. "Why should we? Raising money is not our aim. Therefore, we shouldn't foster privatization, anyway," stressed Rusakevich. "Private capital can establish new enterprises on the media market. I know that certain proposals of this kind by the Russian side have been made. Still, I am quite aware of the steps which are going to follow these projects".

According to the minister, the budget financing of the state newspapers "tends to decrease". "Believe me, they don't get fantastic sums", he added. "Three billion roubles, allocated in support of the whole press is a mere drop in the bucket. It doesn't mean the state doesn't have money to assist the periodicals"

According to Rusakevich, "currently, there are 32 periodicals financed by the state" in the country.
"The ministry of information does not plan any meetings with the Belarusian Association of Journalists Board and the editors of non-governmental periodicals", the ministry stated in response to the BAJ proposal to meet and discuss the current situation in the media field.
In December the Belarusian Public Prosecutor's Office warned Radio Liberty journalist Alherd Nieviarouski about an article placed on the Radio Liberty Web-site. It was accompanied by a number of photos taken during the early voting to the Chamber of Representatives at a polling station on October 16, 2004.
The article dwelled on the cases of issuing ballots with previously marked "YES" answers regarding the referendum question. The Public Prosecutor's Office informed the journalist that his article "didn't represent real facts". In the authorities' opinion, the ballots "had a mark that cancelled V. Palievikova's status as a candidate for election".
During the introduction of V. Sheiman as the new head of the Presidential Administration, Lukashenka called upon the Belarusian Mass Media to react more urgently to information attacks from abroad. "There are bright examples of such reaction on TV and Radio as well as in the press, but there's no solid system here", Lukashenka said.

Taking into account that the media molds public opinion both in Belarus and abroad, he stressed the necessity of "broadcasting our programs to Russia, the Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania in order to create a friendship belt".
In December Iryna Khalip, deputy editor-in-chief of the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta and a Novaya Gazeta journalist received the National Prize for Human Rights Defense. The prize is awarded for the best coverage of human rights issues.

The prize has also been awarded to M. Marynich, ex-Minister of External Economic Relations, Valery Levaneusky and Aliaksandar Vasilieu, the non-registered Entrepreneurs' Strike Committee leaders, Valery Fralou, the former Respublika MP group leader, Mikita Sasim, a Zubr non-registered initiative coordinator, and Artur Finkievich, deputy chairman of The Young Front non registered organization. The Prize is founded by the Charter 97 Civil Initiative Administrative Board.
On December 10, 2004, the mother of the kidnapped "ORT" TV cameraman Zavadsky submitted a claim to P. Miklashevich, the General Public Prosecutor of Belarus. She complained about the Belarusian Public Prosecutor's Office refusal to reinitiate investigations regarding her son's kidnapping, in light of the new found witnesses.
Zavadskaya was motivated to address the Belarusian Public Prosecutor's office by President Lukashenka's statement delivered at his press conference on July 20, 2004. Among other things, he declared that he had certain documents, which could transform "Zavadsky's case" into "an anti-case".

Based on this phrase, V. Zavadskaya urged the Belarusian Public Prosecutor's office to examine the mentioned "documents". However, the state officials failed to explain in their official reply if these documents had ever been requested and investigated.
The 2004 Sakharov Prize 'For Freedom of Thought' was presented to the Belarusian Association of Journalists at the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg on December 14th .

On December 15th Mikalay Pasiedzka, a former editor-in-chief of the Region-Vesti newspaper received the Award "For Freedom of the Press", issued by the Swedish branch of "Reporters without Borders".

Pasiedzka was nominated for the award for "his fearless and insistent disclosure of the abuse of authority that led to intimidation on the part of state institutions and made him escape from Belarus".
Currently, he is seeking political asylum in Sweden. According to Eva Elmsater, the head of the Swedish branch of "The Reporters without Borders", this is an honorary award and is not accompanied by a cash prize.
On December 17, 2004 Iryna But-Gusaim, a correspondent of The Professional Union Movement of Belarus Web-site was not permitted to take part in a press-conference arranged by Leanid Kozik, the head of the Federation of Belarusian Trade Unions (FBTU).

A press service official consulted with the FBTU leadership and banned the journalist from entering the assembly hall, referring to the absence of his prior accreditation.

In December hearings of the case regarding Yahor Rybakou, ex-chairman of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company were temporarily suspended. The Supreme Court of Belarus presented this information to Interfax on December 20, 2004. The Public Prosecutor's office has taken up the case for revision. The accusatory section is going to be amended in view of recently uncovered information. The Supreme Court officials specified that there might be added accusations of much graver crimes by Y. Rybakou. The court hearings are to recommence at the beginning of 2005.
On December 24th, Piotr Marcau, the "BDG" editor-in-chief was summoned to the Public Prosecutor's Office Belarus and handed an official warning. The document was signed by Mikalay Kupryjanau, the Deputy General Prosecutor.

The warning was brought on by an article in issue No. 88 of the "BDG" dated November 12, 2004. The arguable newspaper material was entitled: "Danger. The Public Prosecutor's Office Has Initiated Legal Examinations of Tozik's Closest Colleagues". The author of the article used the pen-name Gieorgi Dan. He wrote about filing a criminal case against State Control Committee official Charadnichenka. The Public Prosecutor's Office noted that the author of the publication "delivered flat statements… without any references to concrete sources of information". The editor-in-chief was officially informed that the public investigator on the case against Charadnichenka had never been interviewed on the subject matter.

Consequently, the Public Prosecutor's office declared that the author of the publication had not fulfilled the requirements of Articles 32 and 40 of the Press Law. In particular, he didn't ensure the citizens' right to get truthful information on the activities carried out by the state authorities. Also, he failed to verify the credibility of the information he put in the article.

The Public Prosecutor's Office stated that Marcau "had refused to tell the names of the publication authors and had shown no data that could have proved the veracity of the information, presented in the article." Basing on the submitted objections and on the basis of part 2, articles 22 and 39 of the Law "On the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Belarus", the deputy Prosecutor issued an official warning to the "BDG" editor-in-chief.
In December the Minsk City Executive Committee refused to allow the Volny Horad non-governmental newspaper from Krychau to register its legal address in the capital. A range of other Belarusian periodicals experienced the same problem in 2004.

In the city authority's opinion, since the newspaper is aimed at Krychau's readership, it has to be registered in its target area, i.e. the Mahileu region.

According to Radio Liberty, the capital officials referred to Articles 10 and 20 of the Press Law in their negative response. However, BAJ lawyers consider these actions of the city authorities to be illegal and add that they create artificial hindrances to non-governmental media development.
The Volny Horad publisher had repeatedly attempted to register the periodical in the Mahileu region. However, state authorities refused. Currently Volny Horad has a circulation of 299. Its publisher wants to broaden the newspaper's distribution area and to increase the periodical's circulation.

In 2004 local authorities also refused to coordinate the legal addresses of non-state newspapers Afisha (Smarhon), Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni and Sobstvennyj Kommentariy (Krychau).
Registered publications faced similar problems. Miestnaya Gazeta wanted to move its editorial office from Smarhon to Vaukavysk. The ministry of information ordered the publisher to submit this decision to the local authorities' prior approval. The publisher had been trying to fulfil this obligation throughout the year. Having received just another unreasoned refusal from the Vaukavysk District Executive Committee at the end of November, editor-in-chief Andrei Shantarovich sent a statement of protest to the local "state vertical" officials, demanding an immediate solution to the problem with the newspaper's legal address. Otherwise, he promised to appeal to court. As there had been no reply to the letter within the legally determined one month's term, A. Shantarovich intends to appeal in court.
On December 28, 2004 Volha Klaskouskaya, a Narodnaya Volya journalist spent an hour and a half at the Central City District Department of Internal Affairs in Minsk. She was arrested in the city center during a solidarity demonstration held by the Belarusian opposition in support of the Ukrainian democratic movement More than 15 participants were detained together with journalists.
Klaskouskaya informed the Belarusian Association of Journalists that she had been arrested by civilians. According to the journalist, she didn't have an opportunity to present her press credentials. Despite her protests, she was rapidly pushed into a minivan together with other democratic activists. The agents refused to present their IDs or reveal where the arrested people were being taken. As it finally turned out, they were delivered to the Central City District Department of Internal Affairs. Klaskouskaya was detained for an hour and a half.
At 6 pm, on December 28, over 20 people with orange accessories gathered together at Yanka Kupala Park. The demonstration had been planned as a performance to be started near the circus and proceed to the Presidential Administration. However, the police arrested the participants on the eve of the event.
On December 29, the Piershamajski City District Court of Babruysk sentenced Illa Famianok, a Babruysk market director, to three years of imprisonment for the obstruction of legal activities of a journalist and abuse of power.
The court case was caused by a conflict between the head of "Zachodni" market in Babruysk and a filming group from the "Mahileu" TV and Radio Company affiliated with the National State TV and Radio Company. A journalist and a cameraman came to the "Zachodni" Marketplace Ltd. in order to film a report on the work of the Babruysk markets. The latter had been criticized severely at the previously held session of the Babruysk City Executive Committee.

However, the market director Illa Famianok prevented the journalists from shooting a report and hit the TV camera. (The evaluated damage of the broken equipment amounted to 1,000,000 Belarusian roubles, i.e. approximately 460 USD).

This incident was mentioned by Lukashenka during his meeting with the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company team. Ales Dajneka, the "Mahileu" TV and Radio Company legal advisor was not prone to connect this fact with the severe court decision. He was sure the journalists would feel more protected after this judicial precedent.

However, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) lawyers disagreed with this opinion. According to them, "while the authorities cater to the state ideological mechanism", ordinary journalists remain completely unprotected. In connection with this, BAJ deputy chairman Andrei Bastuniec mentioned the recent beating of NTV and "Ren-TV" cameramen on October 19, 2004 as well as a number of similar incidents in the past.