5 September 2001
Central election commission sees no bias on Belarusian TV

 Belarus' central election commission has rejected a petition accusing Belarusian state TV (BT) of bias against the challengers to the incumbent Aleksandr Lukashenko in the runup to the country's presidential election.
BT programs contain "no 'lies and slander' about the candidates for the Presidency of the Republic of Belarus, because criticism of their political views does not fall under that category," says a letter received by the petitioners, Brest-based political groups and NGOs, from
commission head Lidiya Yermoshina.
Ms. Yermoshina referred to Belarus' media law, which guarantees TV journalists the right to freedom of opinion. That somebody does not share a journalist's opinion is not a valid ground for censorship, she said.
The country's laws also guarantee all candidates equal access to the state media and require state media outlets to give the candidates equal opportunity for election propaganda. BT "has fully fulfilled" its obligations
regarding campaign airtime, Ms. Yermoshina stressed. BT, which is Belarus' sole national TV channel, did broadcast the opposition candidates' 30-minute prerecorded statements amid programs scolding them and praising Mr. Lukashenko, who waived his right to free campaign airtime.