LITHUANIA: Lithuania has started re-broadcasting Belarus state television which was banned last April

A court has invalidated a ban on transmitting Belarus TV on Lithuanian cable networks. The Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (RTC) who enforced the ban in April 2006, is unlikely to challenge the Vilnius County Court's decision to allow the broadcasting of Belarus TV. Belarus TV is a satellite version of the Belorussian Television (BT) known for its programmes laden with anti-Western and pro-Lukashenko propaganda. Thirteen Lithuanian cable television companies have reportedly been transmitting the channel and the measure affected some 130,000 cable television subscribers. Vaiva Zukiene, president of the Lithuanian Cable Television Association, is pleased with the court decision. "From the beginning it was clear for us that the court will re-established justice and cancel the worthless decision of the Radio and Television Commission (RTC) to ban the retransmission of Belarus TV in Lithuania. Our subscriber are very happy, to have Belarus TV back on theirs screens," Zukiene said. The vast majority of Belarus TV's audience in Lithuanian belong to the Belorussian minority. "Personally for me and for the Belorussians in generally, it is a big pleasure to watch Belarus TV broadcasting from Minsk again, and see what is going on in my homeland," said leader of a Belorussian society in Vilnius, Leonid Muraska. His wife Viktorija also sees the benefits of the television station returning to their screens. "My opinion is positive, because I can see various Belorussian programs again, such as interesting culture programmes and programmes about economy, which for me, as a former economist, is very interesting," Mrs Muraska said. The RTC has two weeks to appeal the court's decision from September 22, but if they refrain from doing so, Belarus TV will be back on the screens from October 6.

ITN Source | October 15, 2006

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