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A Campaign in ByNet: Present Lukashenka with his own LuNet! |
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Thursday, 30 August 2007 |
On August 30 a campaign «Present Lukashenka with his own LuNet!» started in Belarusian internet. It is designed to demonstrate all the absurdity and danger of Lukashenka's demands to put internet under strict control in Belarus. On this day nearly 40 websites supporting the project demonstrated special banners leading web visitors to the LuNet – the future of internet as seen by Lukashenka. In particular to his search website Lundex, video portal LuTube, and LuJournal blogs.
"The problem of internet control is essential for millions of Belarusians. Which is why we consider it important and timely to raise this issue in Belarusian and foreign media, to draw attention of politicians, journalists, and civil society. We shouldn't let the last bastion of freedom in Belarus to fall. The time has come to show that even under certain restrictions of a virtual world we can demonstrate real solidarity. We shouldn't let Belarus turn into yet another internet-hostile China!", -- has stated Pavel Marozau, one of the campaign's organizers.
The campaign was organized by Belarusian public initiatives which are working actively in internet: The Belarusian Youth Movement of America, Pavetra, The Third Way, and other initiatives of the Together to the Victory! Manifesto alliance. The initiative was supported by famous Belarusian politician and dissident, father of the independent Belarusian state Zyanon Paznyak, as well as Mnenie (Our Opinion) project, Belapan and AFN news agencies, Comitet, Office for a Democratic Belarus in Brussels, Nashe more than 40 ByNet websites, a number of Belarusian civic initiatives, and our colleges from Russia and Ukraine (see the entire list of supporters at www.fromlu.net).
The threat to ByNet didn't arise today, it escalated in the beginning of August, 2007. While visiting the editors office of The Sovietskaya Byelorussia newspaper Alexander Lukashenka stated: "We need to put an end to anarchy in internet". He acknowledged that "… Belarusian state has an insignificant influence in internet. There are no governmental websites with number of visitors equaling even to 5 000". He concluded: "If we read what is published there we can see that it's a huge tribune not even for opposition but for adversarial voices and states. Opposition has become their mouthpiece – that's a solid fact." Belarusian TV echoed to Lukashenka by making a propaganda report discrediting independent internet, and Soviet propaganda style The Network Wars movie. United Civil Party is tried in Minsk court for spreading false information about son of a famous Belarusian official. Belarusian parliament is ready to adopt repressive laws on media and internet control in autumn. Since year 2005 the authors of Multclub flash animation are having been prosecuted, accusations are exhibited against them and they are searched by Belarusian police.
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