Narodnaja Volya (newspaper)
| Company type | Independent newspaper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Publishing |
| Predecessor | Narodnaja Gazeta (editor-in-chief Iosif Siaredzich removed) |
| Founded | July 11, 1995 |
| Founder | Iosif Siaredzich |
| Headquarters | Minsk , Belarus |
Area served | Belarus |
Key people | Iosif Siaredzich (editor-in-chief), Ivan Makalovich (deputy editor), Svetlana Kalinkina (former editor) |
| Products | Newspaper |
Narodnaja Volya (; translated as "The People's Will") operates as an independent opposition newspaper established by .
From the very beginning, it positioned itself against the Alexander Lukashenko government, acting as a voice for dissenters. As a result, Narodnaja Volya encountered persistent harassment, repeated shutdowns, and substantial fines. Its reporters faced threats to their lives, detentions, and interrogations conducted by police and KGB agents.
Among its distinguished contributors are opposition activist Andrei Sannikov, journalists and Alyaksandr Feduta, writer Semen Bukchin, academic Vyacheslav Orgish, opposition leader Anatol Labiedzka, and future advisor to the Ukrainian president Mykhailo Podolyak.
Founding and formative period
On March 17, 1995, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko removed Iosif Siaredzich from his position as editor-in-chief of Narodnaja Gazeta. Since only the Parliament had authority to reappoint editors-in-chief, Siaredzich initiated an independent publication titled Narodnaja Volya.
The inaugural issue was published on July 11, 1995. Due to restrictions imposed within Belarus, printing took place in Vilnius, Lithuania from December 1995 until early 1998. International advocacy eventually enabled printing operations to return to Belarus. By November 1997, circulation had grown to 55,000 copies, with printing transferred to Minsk’s private publisher "Magic". It became the largest independent newspaper in Belarus. Siaredzich held the role of editor-in-chief while Ivan Makalovich served as deputy editor.
Legal actions and financial penalties
By 2001, Narodnaja Volya maintained a circulation of approximately 50,000. In August that year, authorities suspended its regular issuance. On June 18, 2002, a district court froze the newspaper’s bank account following defamation claims filed by two judges demanding in damages.
On November 17, 2003, Minsk City Court imposed a fine of (around US$23,000) on the newspaper for libel against Yahor Rybakou, head of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company. Journalists Maryna Koktysh and former presenter Eleanora Yazerskaya were each fined ; their penalties were later reduced on appeal, but the newspaper’s fine persisted. On June 11, 2004, over four hundred supporters assembled in Minsk to express solidarity with the publication.
In 2005, a court ordered a fine of (approximately US$46,500) payable to Sergei Gaidukevich, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, related to an article alleging his connections with Saddam Hussein and receipt of $1 million from the Iraqi dictator.
In 2007 Leninsky District Court fined Narodnaja Volya over a lawsuit involving Oleg Proleskovsky, head of the President’s Main Ideological Administration; reporter Marina Koktysh was personally fined .
Despite ongoing legal pressures, by 2011 courts in Belarus dismissed more than three times as many claims against the newspaper as were upheld.
Government suppression
In 2004, International Press Freedom Award recipient Svetlana Kalinkina joined Narodnaja Volya as an editor. That same year founder Iosif Siaredzich advocated for political activist Leonid Svetik who faced prosecution for criticizing the government. By 2005, weekly circulation reached roughly 150,000 copies. However, on September 20, 2005, authorities confiscated office equipment belonging to the editorial team and froze the newspaper’s bank accounts. Under pressure from the Information Ministry, Belarusian printing houses refused service; by October 1 key distributors terminated contracts preventing sales at newsstands and subscriptions. Forced to print in Smolensk (Russia) exploiting legal loopholes, several print runs were seized at the border with orders to suspend distribution until after the presidential election.
The OSCE observed that these measures eradicated two-thirds of Belarus's independent press outlets; meanwhile, the Belarusian Association of Journalists condemned these acts as illegal. The Russian Union of Right Forces party provided financial assistance. Siaredzich later disclosed desperate logistical solutions including arrangements with a Lithuanian aviation company to transport print editions across borders by aerostat. Despite these efforts, in May 2007 President Lukashenko denied any repression against media outlets.
On October 19, 2005 freelance journalist Vasiliy Grodnikov was discovered dead from a head injury; he had reported extensively on critical social issues in Belarus. Beginning January 1, 2006 Belarusian postal services refused to distribute Narodnaja Volya, and on January 9 police confiscated a print run of 30,000 copies. Citizens advocating for the newspaper faced police questioning. In March 2006 several thousand copies were seized in Minsk. One week prior to the March 2006 presidential election securing Lukashenko's third term, printers in Smolensk abruptly canceled contracts for Narodnaja Volya along with other independent newspapers—widely attributed to government pressure—leading to suspension of publication.
Circulation dropped sharply from approximately 70,000 copies to about 15,000 since November 2005. The newspaper launched its website in autumn of that year. By December 2008 permission was restored for subscription sales and state newsstand distribution which increased circulation from around 9,000 to nearly 19,000 within days.
On December 11, 2009 a bomb threat prompted evacuation of editorial offices; during this incident chief editor Kalinkina’s office was broken into.
2010s
The December 19, 2010 Belarus presidential election was characterized by intense suppression of independent media and journalists. In April, authorities confiscated computers from reporters such as Kalinkina, Charter 97 editor Natalya Radina, and Novaya Gazeta correspondent Irina Khalip during a defamation probe initiated by Ivan Korzh. All four individuals were detained for interrogation. Later in September, Kalinkina probed into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Charter 97 editor-in-chief Aleh Byabenin, which led to her receiving threats against her life and prompted the Norwegian Helsinki Committee to issue a warning on her behalf.
Press and journalist intimidation
In 2010, the newspaper was issued four formal warnings by government authorities.
On April 7, 2010, a group of veterans gathered outside the editorial office protesting chapters from Ilya Kopil’s World War II book, accusing it of promoting fascist ideology and distorting historical facts. The book included accounts of acts of kindness by certain German soldiers as well as criminal records of some Belarusian partisans. Editor Svetlana Kalinkina engaged with the protesters and offered to publish their perspectives. State television portrayed the demonstration as widespread public condemnation of opposition critics. A subsequent protest on April 14, organized by the Minsk State Youth Union, led Kalinkina to defend the publication’s historical accuracy.
On February 17, 2011, deputy editor Marina Koktysh was subjected to police questioning and her workplace was searched. On February 26, Kalinkina’s residence was searched and her computer confiscated in connection with an investigation into senior KGB officials reported by Narodnaja Volya. Both Kalinkina and Natalya Radina were subjected to surveillance and received death threats.
On April 29, 2011, the Ministry of Information filed a petition with the Supreme Economic Court to shut down Narodnaja Volya and Nasha Niva, citing dissemination of unreliable information. Initial hearings in May concentrated on coverage related to anti-government protests following the election. International pressure led to dismissal of the closure attempt, but administrative charges were imposed instead, resulting in fines totaling . President Lukashenko later remarked that these newspapers "deserved" such treatment.
In 2008, Koktysh was refused journalist accreditation for Belarus's parliament and unsuccessfully challenged this denial in court until a 2014 ruling by the UN Human Rights Committee affirmed her rights.
Throughout subsequent years, Koktysh experienced forced removals at border crossings, confiscation of belongings, phone surveillance, and summonses by security services. In October 2011, she was subjected to an extensive phone harassment campaign. At a December 2011 press event, Koktysh questioned Lukashenko about political detainees; his response was evasive and sarcastic.
By 2015, Lukashenko publicly claimed ignorance regarding repression targeting Narodnaja Volya and denied any intention to suppress its oppositional reporting.
Period of limited easing
On April 1, 2016, Svetlana Kalinkina stepped down as editorial director but remained active as a journalist for Narodnaja Volya. In July that year, the publication enlarged its font size to enhance readability for older audiences. On December 31, 2017, Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich sponsored six-month subscriptions for 108 regional libraries across Belarus.
In 2017, Iosif Siaredzich held a private meeting with Alexander Lukashenko who assured him there would be no persecution of independent or opposition media. Although Lukashenko expressed frustration over what he termed 'false news' in Narodnaja Volya, he pledged to reinstate eight publications into state subscription catalogs.
In December 2018, the newspaper initiated a crowdfunding effort aimed at subscribing all rural, district, and regional libraries to Narodnaja Volya, seeking to increase access for economically disadvantaged readers unable to purchase the paper themselves.
Escalating Constraints
On August 25, 2020, the Belarusian Press House declined to print the most recent edition of Narodnaja Volya, attributing the decision to a malfunction in the printing equipment. Around this time, several other publications reporting on the 2020–21 Belarusian protests—including three editions of Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus, as well as one issue each of BelGazeta and Svobodnye Novosti Plus—were similarly withheld from publication for comparable technical reasons.
In August 2021, Iosif Siaredzich, the newspaper’s founder, was refused accreditation to participate in the annual 'Big Talk' press conference hosted by Alexander Lukashenko.
Honors and Recognitions
- Marina Koktysh was honored with the Gerd Bucerius Press Prize in 2010;
- In 2012, Marina Koktysh received the Love Belarus award for excellence in Journalism;
- The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) Free Word Competition recognized a winner in 2012;
- In 2019, Iosif Siaredzich earned an honorary diploma from BAJ for his longstanding dedication to freedom of speech and professional journalistic standards.
Bibliography
- Fedotova, N.; Kulinka, N. (2014). Время несбывшихся надежд (The Time of Unfulfilled Hopes). Minsk. ISBN 978-609-8147-10-0.
- Human Rights Watch. Monopolizing the Media and Information Flows.
- United States Mission to the OSCE (2010-03-04). Response to Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos Haraszti.
- Pina, Frederica (2003-10-19). Pressure, Politics and the Press: the State of Media Freedom in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Article 19 European Programme. ISBN 1-902-598-61-X.
- Boris Zwozski Belarusian Human Rights House (2013). Индивид v. государство: практика обращения в договорные органы ООН применительно к Республике Беларусь (Person vs. State: Practice of Appealing to UN Treaty Bodies in Belarus). Vilnius. ISBN 978-609-95300-2-4.
- Reva, E. K.; Kazeeva, K. S. (2014). "Образ России как информационный конструкт в постсоветском пространстве (на материалах газеты "Народная воля")" (Image of Russia as an Informational Construct in Post USSR Space Based on 'Narodnaja Volya' newspaper). Penza State University Journal, 2(6), 19–24.
- Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) (2012). Media in Belarus, 2011. Minsk.
External links
- Narodnaja Volya official website (available in Russian and Belarusian)