President did not file libel lawsuit over cartoons
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The European Radio for Belarus has learned that the president is not necessary in order to open a criminal case on charges of libeling the president. Investigator Viktar Shaban from a prosecutor’s office in Minsk says the criminal case about satirical cartoons is based on public accusation. Therefore, Lukashenka himself is not required to file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office.
Moreover, even if the head of the state did not see those cartoons, a criminal case would still be opened. In this case, the president does not act as a private person but as a symbol of power, according to Ivan Zui from the prosecutor’s office. Lukashenka’s spokesman Pavel Lyogki also confirmed to the European Radio for Belarus that nobody talked about the cartoons at the Office of the President.
“I didn’t hear any talks about this topic and those cartoons. Yes, I know that the cartoons exist. I heard that someone was prosecuted in this regard. But that’s all I know”.
Pavel Lyogki also added that even the president saw the cartoon, that’s not what could make him offended.
“The president does not deserve to feel offended by the authors of those dirty cartoons”
The European Radio for Belarus that other cartoon characters did not feel offended either. Lidziya Yarmoshyna, the chairperson of the Central Elections Commission, saw a stupid angry woman in her cartoon analogue. But she believes that in reality she is a kind and clever lady.
“It happened around one year ago. The commission’s secretary went in the internet and then showed the cartoons to me. I went and saw what concerned me. My God, this is just nonsense and absurdity. I could not pick anything positive from those cartoons. At the same time, I did not feel myself offended either. I think that I am a kind and clever lady. The stupid woman shown there has nothing in common with me”, Yarmoshyna said.
The chairperson of the Central Elections Commission has no desire to save those cartoons.
“First of all, I don’t have a computer. It is with the secretary. Secondly, is it a piece of art? One should collect only good impressions and memories”.
Aliaksandr Zimouski, the chairman of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company, does have a computer. But he did not want to save the cartoons, either.
“I watched them and forgot. I did not save them for me, but not because I feared. The criminal case is opened for the distribution. If someone stores a collection of cartoons about political personalities from various countries and times, nothing could happen to this person”.
Zimouski downloaded the cartoons from the internet and knows the location. Another hero of the cartoons, ONT presenter Vadzim Yalfimau did not watch the flash video and is not going to.
“I didn’t see. I don’t deal with saving some cartoons. Parody is parody. I am myself. I did not open this case and I don’t think that the whole frenzy was caused by me”.
The criminal case for libeling the president was opened in 2005 against the participants of the Third Way project for the dissemination of satirical cartoons in the internet. On March 27 the state security agency (KGB) raided the offices and apartments of independent journalists in connection with this case.
