Under police escort: Independent journalists barred from performing professional duties
On February 5, 2014 Belsat TV contributors were detained in the town of Miyory (Vitsebsk region). Nasta Reznikava, Aliaksandr Patseyeu, Siarhei Kruchkou were making a feature for Belsat’s program ‘It’s My Right’ covering the situation local residents, left without heating at their homes, are facing at the moment.
According to policemen, as the journalists happened to be in the area of a war game they were persons non grata there. Having escorted our crew out of town, the police officers let them go and said that they would face a more brutal detention if they ever dared to come back.
The residents of Miyory have had their homes unheated for a week. According to the local authorities, such an embarassing situation was caused by a failure of the system. But the case is that the heat was redirected to military barracks, the journalists discovered.
Program It’s My Right explains how to meander through the Belarusian legal maze, reveals cases of law violations by the authorities and provides sound legal advice on specific problems.
