Right before the Easter “Nasha Niva” got a letter from Mensk city executive committee. It has it: “the allocation of “Nasha Niva” in Mensk is not appropriate”. The motivation is as follows: “… it has been ascertained … that the 22th of March the editor-in-chief of “Nasha Niva” was put under administrative arrest for 10 days”.
It is worth while reminding that the editor was detained while getting off bus #100 at Kastrychnickaja square on March, 21st, at the time of post-election protests, later he was convicted of “foul language”.
The authorities try to close the last link in smothering “Nasha Niva”. Since January, 1st, distribution of the paper was banned under various pretexts by the monopolists “Bielsajuzdruk”, “Minharsajuzdruk”, “Minablsajuzdruk”; and “Bielposhta” did not let the paper into the subscription catalogue. On April, 10th, after a considerable delay, the Ministry of Communications didn’t comply with “Nasha Niva” request to acquire a license for independent subscription. That very date is put on the mail from Minsk executive committee, prepared by the department of ideology and signed by vice-chairman M.Ciciankou. It means the ban on “Nasha Niva” company existence.
The authorities are cynically closing down “Nasha Niva” on the eve of its 100th anniversary. In 1915 the first “NN” was closed after Vilnius was occupied by German troops. In 2006 same thing is carried out by the Lukashenka administration.
The authorities used to keep some visibility of legal proceedings. Newspapers paused or ceased to exist according to court decisions and those of the Ministry of Information. Now a mere decision of “the department of ideology” is enough. Legally this is absurd. The Press law presupposes no permits for newspaper allocation from any kind of ideological departments. Furthermore, activity of an enterprise can not depend on administrative penalties imposed on its manager.
“Nasha Niva” never broke the law. It is indicative that the paper hasn’t even had notifications from the Ministry of Information for the last four years.
The first Belarusan newspaper is being closed down.
The last independent paper, fully in Belarusan, is being closed down.
The attempt at “Nasha Niva” is a symbolical beginning of Alaksandar Lukashenka’s third term.
The last Belarusan-speaking lyceum is closed. Belarusan-speaking rock-groups are banned from the radio and TV. The process of closing up the Union of writers has been launched. Dozens of newspapers are banned, starting up own radio and TV in Belarusian language is illegal. The extermination of cultural alternatives is elevated to the rank of state policy. Single-level Soviet identity is imposed to people. Today it is a question of not saving “Nasha Niva” or independent press only. Salvation of Belarusan cultural identity as such is at issue now.
Age-old cultural tradition of a whole people mustn’t become extinct in the Europe of the 21st century.
In such conditions we ask the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture to apply to UNESCO for including the newspaper “Nasha Niva” into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Lithuania has the moral right to do it, since “Nasha Niva” was issued in Vilnius in 1906—1915 and 1991—1996. 100th anniversary of the paper which had set up Belarusian literary language, Belarusian classic literature, Belarusian state idea is a good occasion for that. We ask the governments of other countries, international and non-government institutions, which have such a right, to support this application with UNESCO. This symbolic step may be the last thing the world can do for the Belarusian press.
We also appeal to international community to immediately intensify their support of all independent Belarusan mass media ever existing.
We appeal to our readers to be self-possessed and optimistic.
Legal proceedings, appeal of City executive council letter etc. can last from months to years. In spite of such uncertainties the paper will be published in its today’s format until there is a possibility. It is impossible to forecast how long it will be. E.g. we don’t know for how long the printing house will print the paper. Later on we’ll have something else.
Firstly, the Internet. Even the closing of the enterprise “Nasha Niva” does not mean closing the web-site of the paper.
It is important to preserve the edition in paper for the national cultural tradition.
Since publishing “Nasha Niva” in Belarus “is not appropriate”, that would be logical to consider the matter of transferring the newspaper abroad. However that would entail legal and financial perplexities. In the situation of the ban on distribution, “Nasha Niva” is published at the cost of donations from private persons. We have received some 4000 of them from all over Belarus since the beginning of the year. Nevertheless if the paper is closed and then transferred and registered abroad, the reader will have no direct opportunity to make a money order for the paper. Until the paper is issued as it used to, please, keep on donating — but in lesser amounts. We will be looking for a way out considering the developments.
It’s worth while reminding that in case the enterprise is closed, the money on its account doesn’t disappear but is used for statute purposes.
“Nasha Niva” is being closed, but “Nasha Niva” has to go on. As an edition read by thousands of people, as a national symbol.
