'Nasha' Niva' newspaper removed from newsstands

The sale of the private socio-political newspaper Nasha Niva at the state newsstands was stopped after the publication of the article Godfather Surrenders.

A representative of the newspaper was told by officers of the state monopolist, Belsayuzdruk, that the paper arrived at the wholesale stores and was recorded in the network. However, the newspaper staff visited newsstands in different parts of Minsk and didn’t find the paper on sale. A newsstand seller told there was information from her chief that the issue wouldn’t get to the newsstands at all.

The same situation could be observed in Hrodna, Homel, Brest, Lida, Salihorsk, Barysau, and Belaaziorsk. Only one newsstand in Mahiliou sold the newspaper.

The newspaper staff thinks this was caused by the front-page article Godfather Surrenders covering a highly critical film about Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Godfather, which was broadcast in Russia, but blocked in Belarus.