Hrodna: important information is concealed from electors

The state-owned newspaper Hrodzenskaya Prauda serves as almost the only source of official information about the elections in Hrodna. However, it tends to conceal some important information from the electorate. For instance, the edition that features information about the candidates for the Hrodna city and the Hrodna regional Councils of Deputies wasn't retailed at the newsstands of Belsayuzdruk. Its complete version was sent only to libraries.

The local human rights defenders consider it as restriction of the civil right to receive information. May be, somebody took the opinion that it is better not to give a wide publicity to the income data of the pro-governmental candidates.

By the way, the yearly income of the chief editor of Hrodzenskaya Prauda Alena Berasneva, a candidate for the Hrodna regional Council of Deputies, is 41,571,997 rubles (about $15,000), which is well above an average Belarusian wage. The earnings of some other pro-governmental candidate are even more impressive. For instance, Yauhen Rouba, rector of Hrodna State University, earned 79,688,406 rubles, Viktar Matsveyeu, manager of the Hrodna branch of Beltelekam – 58,893,949 rubles and Aleh Ushkevich, manager of Hrodnazhylbud – 119,254,756 rubles. All these numbers can give an answer why this edition of the newspaper was withheld from retail.

Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections