MINSK, 19 May (BelTA) – The state should protect its information space, political analyst Aleksandr Shpakovsky told the STV TV channel, BelTA informs.
After the notice from the General Prosecutor's Office, the Information Ministry made a decision to restrict access to the tut.by online media outlet and its copies. “As a political expert, a member of the board of the Belarusian Union of Journalists, I have repeatedly said that this resource is biased. In addition to misinterpreting and misrepresenting things, it also posts false information. This is deliberate disinformation aimed at changing the worldview of the Belarusian society, building a sense of anxiety, encouraging protests, creating a gap and discord between people, between the public and the government. In this regard, I believe that sooner or later the appropriate authorities had to deal with it. It is for a reason that tut.by was stripped of legal status as a media outlet and the Information Ministry repeatedly issued warnings to this website,” Aleksandr Shpakovsky said.
On 18 May, the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee opened a tax-fraud investigation against senior executives of TUT BAY MEDIA under Article 243 (Part 2) of the Criminal Code. “Such a crime is treated very seriously in Western democracies and the punishment for it is much tougher than in Belarus. In our country, for some reason, businesses do not shy away from tax evasion, while all of them want the state to honor its social security commitments. They pay envelop salaries and at the same time they are frustrated that their grandmothers get small retirement benefits,” the analyst noted.
Since 2019, TUT BAY MEDIA was a resident of the Hi-Tech Park (HTP). HTP resident companies are entitled to a number of benefits in line with the legislation. “In my opinion, this is the pinnacle of double standards, arrogance and immorality: on the one hand, they spearhead the information war against the state and personally against the president, but on the other hand, they take advantage of the benefits provided by the Belarusian state. If you take an anti-government stance, why do you ask the state for benefits, including tax benefits, besides, why do you use your special legal status in order not to pay what you owe?” Aleksandr Shpakovsky asked.
“The state needs to protect its information space and to make sure that economic activities in the country are transparent,” the expert summed up.
