Bastunets: “SB” publishes materials Ministry of Justice used to consider unlawful
Some of the people mentioned in the “compromising” materials published by this newspaper are going to sue it. However, the BAJ cannot recall any cases when such a political hearing involving state mass media could lead to court victory. The press organ of the President’s Administration “SB. Belarus Today” has published the third part of the material “Behind the scenes of a collusion. Some information about December 19 events” on January 21. The material is supposed “to compromise” opposition forces. However, some of the people mentioned in the article doubt the listed facts are true. And they would like to punish the edition “for libel and insult”.
The head of Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu’s election team Andrei Dzmitryyeu was the first to have expressed his desire to sue the newspaper. According to him, all “the collusion theory” described by “SB” is a mere tale. And the conversation of an investigator with a high-ranking organization man of “Tell the Truth” published in the second part of “the investigation” did not even take place.
Andrei Dzmitryyeu: “It is necessary to understand that the information published by “Soviet Byelorussia” is mere fiction and a desire to demonstrate that there was some collusion aimed at a takeover. I know that I was not the person mentioned there and I know there could not be such a conversation. I know some of the facts mentioned there and if the conversation had taken place, it would have been different”.
At the same time, investigators “have persuaded” Dzmitryyeu not to sue the newspaper.
Andrei Dzmitryyeu: “I would not like to return to the KGB detention centre now so I do not think that I will be provocative and try to appeal it in court. It would be even worse if I accidentally did harm to the people imprisoned there. However, I do not exclude the possibility of doing it after the case is closed. Such things have no time limitation”.
However, the press secretary of the steering committee for the creation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Dzyanis Sadouski is still going to punish the edition for distribution of false information and “the security services” for tapping his phone.
Dzyanis Sadouski: “The text of my so-called conversation with Zhukouski is a mere tale. The conversation did take place, but the main phrase where I say that instigators broke the windows, is not true– I did not say it and I could not do it because I know what really happened there. So my main complaint is that there is libel concerning me. The second complaint has nothing to do with “Soviet Byelorussia”, - it is about the fact that my phone was tapped. Although it is clear that there was no legal reason for it. Lawyers have already prepared a corresponding document. I only have to sign it and to lodge the complaint”.
Victar Ivashkevich, Andrei Sannikau’s representative during the election campaign, does not exclude the possibility of suing “SB” either.
Vіctar Іvashkevіch: “I have asked lawyers to help me draw up the complaint de jure and we will work on it. However, if our court accepts the evidence that a mute shouts out “Live Belarus”, what hearings can we discuss?”
The leader of the LDPB Syarhei Haidukevich also mentioned in the material simply said that he saw no sense in suing the newspaper of the President’s Administration.
By the way, “SB” added a statement to the article that all the materials had been presented by security agencies and that the editorial staff could not account for them. However, the note has not changed Sadouski’s plans. According to him, the editorial staff still has to account for the published materials.
Andrei Bastunets, the deputy chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, confirmed Sadouski’s statement by arguments of the Ministry of Justice.
Andrei Bastunets: “It is worth mentioning the letter sent by the Ministry of Justice to the BAJ a few years ago. It was connected with the Ministry’s order concerning the publication of such materials. The Ministry of Justice agreed that it could not control the activities of mass media but considered it was illegal to publish information before court’s decisions came into power – it concerned the positions occupied by people, their names and so on. Now we can see that this situation is not even connected with cases at bar (the Ministry thinks that publishing materials about them is illegal) – it is based on tapping and operative work. I think that it demonstrates their attitude to the law as well as the attitude of the editorial staff publishing it”.
The question whether it is worth suing the editorial staff if the materials are presented by security agencies arises. According to Andrei Bastunets, it is necessary to sue the edition that published the information and the court has to find out who is the author and to bring him to trial. However, he added that he could not recall a single plaintiff who gained a suit against a state edition at law if the case was connected with politics in this or that way.
The head of Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu’s election team Andrei Dzmitryyeu was the first to have expressed his desire to sue the newspaper. According to him, all “the collusion theory” described by “SB” is a mere tale. And the conversation of an investigator with a high-ranking organization man of “Tell the Truth” published in the second part of “the investigation” did not even take place.
Andrei Dzmitryyeu: “It is necessary to understand that the information published by “Soviet Byelorussia” is mere fiction and a desire to demonstrate that there was some collusion aimed at a takeover. I know that I was not the person mentioned there and I know there could not be such a conversation. I know some of the facts mentioned there and if the conversation had taken place, it would have been different”.
At the same time, investigators “have persuaded” Dzmitryyeu not to sue the newspaper.
Andrei Dzmitryyeu: “I would not like to return to the KGB detention centre now so I do not think that I will be provocative and try to appeal it in court. It would be even worse if I accidentally did harm to the people imprisoned there. However, I do not exclude the possibility of doing it after the case is closed. Such things have no time limitation”.
However, the press secretary of the steering committee for the creation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Dzyanis Sadouski is still going to punish the edition for distribution of false information and “the security services” for tapping his phone.
Dzyanis Sadouski: “The text of my so-called conversation with Zhukouski is a mere tale. The conversation did take place, but the main phrase where I say that instigators broke the windows, is not true– I did not say it and I could not do it because I know what really happened there. So my main complaint is that there is libel concerning me. The second complaint has nothing to do with “Soviet Byelorussia”, - it is about the fact that my phone was tapped. Although it is clear that there was no legal reason for it. Lawyers have already prepared a corresponding document. I only have to sign it and to lodge the complaint”.
Victar Ivashkevich, Andrei Sannikau’s representative during the election campaign, does not exclude the possibility of suing “SB” either.
Vіctar Іvashkevіch: “I have asked lawyers to help me draw up the complaint de jure and we will work on it. However, if our court accepts the evidence that a mute shouts out “Live Belarus”, what hearings can we discuss?”
The leader of the LDPB Syarhei Haidukevich also mentioned in the material simply said that he saw no sense in suing the newspaper of the President’s Administration.
By the way, “SB” added a statement to the article that all the materials had been presented by security agencies and that the editorial staff could not account for them. However, the note has not changed Sadouski’s plans. According to him, the editorial staff still has to account for the published materials.
Andrei Bastunets, the deputy chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, confirmed Sadouski’s statement by arguments of the Ministry of Justice.
Andrei Bastunets: “It is worth mentioning the letter sent by the Ministry of Justice to the BAJ a few years ago. It was connected with the Ministry’s order concerning the publication of such materials. The Ministry of Justice agreed that it could not control the activities of mass media but considered it was illegal to publish information before court’s decisions came into power – it concerned the positions occupied by people, their names and so on. Now we can see that this situation is not even connected with cases at bar (the Ministry thinks that publishing materials about them is illegal) – it is based on tapping and operative work. I think that it demonstrates their attitude to the law as well as the attitude of the editorial staff publishing it”.
The question whether it is worth suing the editorial staff if the materials are presented by security agencies arises. According to Andrei Bastunets, it is necessary to sue the edition that published the information and the court has to find out who is the author and to bring him to trial. However, he added that he could not recall a single plaintiff who gained a suit against a state edition at law if the case was connected with politics in this or that way.
