BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/05/2008

Belarus Authorities Order Satellite TV Provider to Drop Three Channels

Text of report by Belarusian human rights group Charter-97 website, on 16 May

The Kosmos TV company stopped rebroadcasting three TV channels, 24DOK, Feniks-Art and NST, on 15 May. The official website of Kosmos TV reports that the broadcasts were stopped "for reasons not related to the company". "The marketing broadcasting of other TV channels will be carried out" instead of the aforementioned channels. The website features an official letter signed by the deputy head of the Minsk city executive committee, Mikhail Tsitsyankow. The letter says that the Minsk city executive committee revokes its broadcast permissions for the three channels. The letter contains a demand to inform the directorate for ideological work of the Minsk city executive committee on the implementation of the instruction.

The ideology directorate of the Minsk city executive committee and the Kosmos TV company are declining to comment. According to unofficial reports, the reason for the ban was the broadcasting of "The Ordinary President" documentary by Belarusian director Yuryy Khashchavatski [scathingly critical of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka]. Apart from the 24DOK channel, this film, which is banned by the Belarusian authorities, was aired accidentally, due to a technical mistake, by the humour TV channel NST, which has a large viewership in Belarus.

Commenting for the Belapan news agency, Khashchavatski described this situation as standard. "The 24DOK TV channel aired many of my films, not just 'The Ordinary President', but also 'Gods of the Hammer and Sickle' and 'Caucasus Prisoners'. I know that a similar situation occurred in Babruysk - they pulled the plug on 24DOK there because the channel broadcast my films," the director said.

[Kosmos TV is the largest provider of satellite television in Minsk.]

Originally published by Charter-97 website, Minsk, in Belarusian 16 May 08.

Source:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1388691/belarus_authorities_order_satellite_tv_provider_to_drop_three_channels/

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