Polskie Radio: Charter’97 Counterstands Putin-Lukashenka Propaganda

Belarusians have a right to alternative.

The web portal Charter97.org, headed by Belarusian journalist Natallia Radzina, is struggling to survive.

Charter97.org is one of the few media, fighting against the Russian propaganda in Belarus. As Natallia Radzina told Polskie Radio, since the beginning of this year the editor’s office has had to work without any financial support. The situation is very complicated.

The portal remains one of the few media in Belarus that really offer objective information to Belarusians, standing against the growing Russian propaganda in Belarus, as well as against the Lukashenka censorship.

Charter97.org is presented in three languages – English, Belarusian, and Russian. Last year, the website celebrated the 20th anniversary. In Belarus, the editor’s office was repeatedly subjected to repressions and searches. Editor-in-Chief Natallia Radzina was arrested by the KGB after the election in 2010. She had to flee from the country. Part of the editorial staff joined her later.

Founder of the website Charter97.org Aleh Biabenin was found hanged during the electoral campaign in 2010, his friends do not believe this was a natural death.

Charter’97 stands in the way of the Kremlin, as well as of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, and that is why the website was blocked in the beginning of last year. Nevertheless, the site was so popular that the staff managed to win back a very big part of the audience. It is possible to bypass the block by using proxy-servers.

The European Parliament in its resolution urged the Lukashenka authorities to unblock the website Charter97.org and to stop repressions against the independent media.

Charter’97 Awaitening for Poland’s Decision

- Every year we are excitedly waiting for the decision of the Polish Fund of International Solidarity with regard to the support of the portal Charter97.org. Our previous project was completed in the end of last year. We have had no financing this year so far, - Editor-in-Chief of Charter97.org Natallia Radzina told Polskie Radio.

- There are complications because of the delay of support for our website, which happens from time to time. However, we need to work every day, not from project to project, - she added.

Now, according to the Editor-in-Chief, the portal is awaitening for the decision of the Polish authorities. There is hope that the financing will be renewed.

Regardless of the fact that Poland has activized the relations with the official Minsk today, the country continues to support independent media. Editor-in-Chief of Charter97.org hopes that Warsaw will support the democratic media in Belarus further on:

- Belarusians have a right to alternative. Independent media today are confronting the lies spread by the propaganda of Putin and Lukashenka, - she added. - The situation with the media in Belarus is deteriorating. The authorities and the special services are putting an increasing pressure on those who are still working in Belarus. That is why the editorial offices located abroad are so important when we speak about the dissemination of honest and objective information.

Today in Belarus, there are Russian TV channels, newspapers, web portals and radio stations. Lukashenka, struggling against the independent media, is clearing the space for the Russian propagandistic centers. This is another proof of the fact that the Belarusian dictator is the Kremlin’s agent, - Editor-in-Chief of Charter97.org said.

Natallia Radzina noted that the website won back a considerable part of its audience, which was lost after the blocking by the Lukashenka regime. Now, according to her, the audience makes over a million of unique users per month (27-30 million views of articles per month). Internet users learn how to bypass the block.

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It will be recalled that on September 3 editor-in-chief of Charter-97 Natallia Radzina announced the threat to informational resource cause by drastic reduction in financing and called readers for solidarity. Ways to support the website:

DONATION VIA PAYPAL:

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.

Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa

IBAN: PL 97 1160 2202 0000 0002 1671 1123

SWIFT: BIGBPLPW

Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”

Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

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