Arche Editor may face criminal charges
Valer Bulhakau. Photo by Nasha Niva.
The case against
the Arche magazine is a political order to destroy the edition, says its
founder Andrei Dynko. According
to him, the Belarusian authorities are looking for any reason to stop the printing
of the independent magazine.
To
prove his words, Andrei Dynko quotes a story shown a few days ago on Belarusian
television. The
state propaganda called the edition dubious and extremist.
This
story was about the magazine’s issue released in 2008 that republished a number
of articles by renowned scientists.
“First,
they told me in a conversation at the Financial Investigation Department that this
was a purely economic matter. Now,
from this story we learn that, as it turns out, the magazine was an extremist
one, it turns out it had controversial content. The
findings made by the journalist, I dare say they are not his own findings, give
reason to think that this is an attempt to destroy the edition. To destroy the intellectual
environment of Arche. They are simply searching
for a means to do it,” says Mr. Dynko.
According
to state television, the reprinted texts of Israeli, American and German
scientists in Arche were sent for re-examination. From
this Andrei Dynko concludes that the first examination was entirely in favor of
the publishers of the magazine.
The persecution
of Arche began on 14 September. At
the moment, the editorial board has prepared two new issues, which cannot be
printed due to assets being frozen by the authorities.
***
Valer
Bulhakau can be prosecuted for illegal business activities. According
to Acting Chief Editor of Arche Ales Pashkevich, the Financial Investigation Department
continues its investigation against the former editor of the magazine.
According
to Pashkevich, the investigators carry out daily interrogations of Valer
Bulhakau, and other employees of the magazine. The
interrogations deal with Arche’s economic activity, as well as with the books seized
from the former editor.
“Representatives
of the Financial Investigation Department visited the printing firm, which has produced
the magazine over the recent years, subsequently verifying documents, because
of what this matter on charges of economic nature appeared, which has not been officially
charged. But
it became known from the interrogation of Arche’s employees that charges of illegal
business activities would be brought. As
yet, they have questioned Valer Bulhakau, the magazine’s accountant Alena Kazlova
and I; we all have visited the Department for a few times.
According
to Ales Pashkevich, the harassment of Valer Bulhakau is ordered by the authorities.
Arche’s
Acting Editor does not rule out another political case could be brought to
trial.
