Suspension of Zgoda

According to the press-service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists

The Ministry of Information sued to the Supreme Economic Court for suspension of the non-state newspaper Zgoda. The chief editor Aliaksei Karol found it from the official letter of the Supreme Economic Court, who accepted the suit for consideration and also suspended the newspaper on the request of the ministry yet before the trial.

According to the suit, the reason for the suspension is the repeated violation of the requirements of article 5 of the law On press and other mass media (the newspaper received warnings for it on 9 November and 23 February). The ministry asked the court to suspend the newspaper before the trial because ‘the defendant could commit gross violations of the law on press’.

On 7 March the judge of the Supreme Economic Court Aksana Mikhniuk satisfied the ministry’s request and suspended Zhoda till the end of the trial. She also appointed the preliminary sitting of the court on 15 March.