Detention, no explanation: Minsk police prevent Belsat TV from covering protest


Ales Zaleuski (L), Alyaksei Minchonak (R)

The traffic police stopped Belsat TV journalist Ales Zaleuski and the channel’s official representative in Belarus Alyaksei Minchonak on Sunday near the Palace of the Republic in Minsk.

Today, Belarusians came to Kastrychnitskaya Square to show solidarity with the protesters detained and beaten yesterday.

freedom Day: Belarus police beat protesters on March 25 (Turn English subtitles on)

Our colleagues had to spend at Tsentralny district police department about three hours: they were detained around 12:10 and released at 16:25. As the police did not draw a protocol upon them and even failed to give any reason for detentions, they violated the Administrative Code of the Republic of Belarus.

Interestingly, when adressed by the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) soon after the arrest, Alyaksandr Lastouski, spokesman for the Minsk police, said that he could not help the detainees.

The pressure on Belsat TV journalists and contributors has been ramped up lately. 26 incidents of harassment have been recorded since March 12: our reporters were arrested, threatened with murder, beaten, fined, barred from performing their professional duties.

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