MINSK, Belarus - President autocratic Belarus Friday threatened to ban some foreign media organizations to work in the country after what he describes as their alarmist cover the worsening of the financial crisis.
Lukashenko made his toughest critics in the Russian media, saying that their coverage contained mostly "hysteria" because many Belarusians watch Russian TV channels.
He criticized equally worrying some Belarusian journalists working for foreign organizations, ordering the Government to "ensure that media organizations do more work on our territory." Lukashenko said that he would not appoint the organizations or journalists because he did not step to increase their ratings.
Belarus is engulfed in its worst recession since the Soviet collapse. With seriously depleted foreign currency reserves, the National Bank this week cut the value of the Belarusian ruble against the dollar about half, which triggered the buying panic.
Journalists reported how Belarus have been rushing to buy the goods and the tail for days currency exchange offices to obtain dollars and euros in a desperate attempt to protect their savings.
Lukashenko also threatened to return his Government if it fails to put the economy on track.
Human Rights Ombudsman presidential Russian Mikhail Fedotov said he was shocked by the threat of Lukashenko.
"Such a statement is particularly astonishing if you take into account how space global information develops," Fedotov was quoted by the news agency Interfax saying. "We are becoming more open." "Try to create a closed space is impossible".
Minsk is in the hope of consolidating the economy with a loan of 3 billion of the Russia, but the Kremlin insists that put Belarus for sale some of its most lucrative assets, including refineries, machinery and chemical plants.
Lukashenko said no there is no sale, "and even less for the song that someone is in the hope of their place to snap."
Standard & Poor Friday lowered the Belarus currency credit rating by a notch and placed under surveillance negative, meaning that it is likely to be further cut.
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Vasilyeva Nataliya contributed to this report from Moscow.
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