BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/10/2008

Belarus Association of Journalists urges international press not to forget journalists' plight

Judith Townend

The international sports journalists covering Wednesday's World Cup qualifier between England and Belarus might enjoy freedom of speech from Minsk, but journalists in Belarus do not share the same rights, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has said.

Last week the Europe director of the International Federation of Journalists, Marc Gruber, made a plea in the House of Lords, for additional international attention to be given to Belarus.

"If you examine media coverage of Belarus in recent weeks there were 1,000 versions of the same story about the flawed parliamentary elections and 900 stories on sport.

"In Beijing, journalists also wrote about human rights issues. They should contact BAJ when they reach Minsk and find out how tough life is for independent journalists."

His concerns were backed by Brian Bennett, former ambassador to Belarus, who said: "President Lukashenko only talks about democracy but has no intention of changing. But he is sensitive to pressure."

According to a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report from 2008, since the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in 2006 to serve a third term, 'the free press has virtually disappeared and been forced underground' in the country.

"Printing and distribution of newspapers is done by state-controlled firms that have a monopoly. The national post office, Belpochta, has a monopoly on distribution of newspapers to subscribers and can strike a dissident paper off its list at any time," the RSF report said.

The BAJ has challenged a newly ratified media law which RSF has said will lead to 'the total eradication of the independent media'. It asks that all media outlets must register with the authorities, who can then close down publications for 'the most minor offences', according to the BAJ.

The BAJ is concerned that Lukashenko has hired Lord Timothy Bell to manage the government's press relations.

Speaking to Journalism.co.uk, Forward Maisokwadzo, Exiled Journalists' Network (RJN) co-ordinator & RAM project communications officer at the MediaWise Trust, said he would urge Lord Bell to use his position and proximity to the Belarusian government to help improve media freedom.

"Nobody talks about it [media repression] at all," Maisokwadzo said. The issue should be raised on the international press agenda and this week's football match is a chance to 'force the story to the western media', he added.

Nonetheless, Maisokwadzo left last week's House of Lords talks 'optimistic.'

He said that campaign groups need 'to come together', but stressed that it would take time to be effective.

There are currently only 30 independent newspapers in Belarus compared to 10 years ago when there were 100.

Aliaksej Karol, editor-in-chief of Novy Chas, one of the independent papers, in a press release issued by the MediaWise Trust, said 'journalists everywhere should write about Belarus, seek comments from colleagues in Belarus and demand that press freedom should be a pre-requisite for Belarus benefiting from economic ties with the European Union.'

"Journalists should be ringing the changes on Lukashenko rather than being taken in by his new PR man Lord Bell," he said.

Source:

http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/532498.php

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