Why do UCP website and UDF spokesperson issue glaring falsehood?
- 8.10.2008, 13:07
Coordinator of Charter’97 Zmitser Bandarenka addressed an open letter to the leaders of the United Democratic Forces and the United Civil Party.
An open letter to the members of Presidium of the Political Council of the United Democratic Forces and the members of the Political Council of the United Civil Party
Dear colleagues,
The following situation makes me address you. On September 25, 2008, the website of the United Civil Party (ucpb.org), posted a material republished from My (We) Internet project titled “Whom will Charter swallow?”, written by an author under a pen-name Syarhei Nalivaika. The article contains the following information: “A Scandinavian foundation has given a grant of one and a half million dollars to Charter’97 civil initiative. Not a little sum. It’s rather difficult to operate it.” This message is a rather provocative and absolutely false, being a political denunciation as a matter of fact. During the “electoral campaign”, we considered it necessary not to react to these provocative remarks, regarding them as polemic overkill. But yesterday, on the UCP website in the material “Leaving the coalition must have been softened”, a journalist asking an interviewee, repeated the false information: “The information saying Charter’97 received more that million dollars for the campaign “Sannikov for presidency” has been spread in the press recently.”
I phoned to the co-chairman of the UDF and head of the UCP Anatol Lyabedzka and asked to explain why this deliberately false information had been issued on the UCP website for the second time. Anatol explained that he had no relation to the ucpb.org and people, who working for the website, posted any information they considered necessary. However, he promised he would try to find time to meet with the journalists of the website and settle up the matter. I don’t know if the UCP leader met with the people, working for the website, but false information about Charter’97 is still available on the recourse.
As this lie was first published on My Internet project, I tried to learn who stands behind this project. According to the information of BelaPAN, “My Internet project is coordinated by Belarusian journalists Kiryl Paznyak, Yury Patsyomkin
, and Henadz Sharypkin
.” As it is known, Yury Patsyomkin
is also a spokesman of the UDF.
In this regard, a question arises: why do one of the leaders and the UDF spokesman do not prevent spreading of false and rather dangerous in the conditions of ship information about their opposition colleagues? Discussions in the opposition and the civil society are possible, and moreover, they are necessary. Sometime they can have an emotional character. In general, I have no claims to the content of the above mentioned materials. Journalists have the right to suggest their versions and give estimations to people and events. But one shouldn’t go down to blatant lie.
I address you, my colleagues, asking to solve this situation and help to stop this slander campaign.
Best regards,
Zmitser Bandarenka,
Charter’97 coordinator