Belarusian supported by Ministry of Trade in desire to limit ubiquitous casino advertising. But propagandists advised him 'not to meddle where he doesn't belong'
Restrictions on gambling business advertising may be strengthened in Belarus. Relevant amendments to legislation have already been developed by the relevant ministry. However, the grassroots initiative of citizens caused sharp irritation for Mukavozchyk.
Ihar Barysionak, a resident of Maladziechna, sent appeals to the Ministries of Culture, Information, and Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) with a proposal to completely ban advertising of gambling establishments in the country. He published the official response received from MART on his Facebook page.
In the document, the agency explains that the current law "On Advertising" does not contain a complete ban on the promotion of casinos and bookmakers. There are only specific restrictions: such advertising cannot be placed on school buildings, hospitals, sports facilities, on children's toys, and on television and radio, it is allowed only at night — from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Outdoor advertising and online advertising remain practically unrestricted.
Nevertheless, MART officially stated that they "share the concerns" of the citizen. The agency reported that it has already developed proposals for introducing additional restrictions on the placement and distribution of advertising for gambling establishments. Now these changes to the law must go through a review and approval procedure jointly with other interested state bodies. Specific dates and details of the new prohibitions are not specified in the response.
Andrei Mukavozchyk, a columnist for "SB. Belarus Segodnya" and a propagandist, dedicated a separate article to the activist's complaint.
The propagandist did not criticize the casino advertising itself, which feeds the regime that feeds him, but instead attacked the author of the appeal, calling such people "turbo-patriots who are tired of doing their own business." Mukavozchyk's main complaint was that the citizen sent letters to three ministries at once, without realizing that local executive committees are responsible for approving outdoor advertising.
In his text, Mukavozchyk openly warned Belarusians about the consequences of excessive civic activism. He advised "not to create unnecessary problems for each other" and "not to meddle where you don't belong, even with the best intentions." As an argument, the propagandist threatened that citizens' complaints to state bodies could lead to the authorities having "the temptation to adjust this freedom".
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