Police after Belsat TV. Belarus authorities set to punish for outrage over St. George ribbon


Brest-based Independent journalist Ales Lyauchuk may be taken to court for an anonymous article on belsat.eu.

Five (!) independent journalists have been called to the police over the past two days.

Hrodna-based journalists (Ales Kirkevich, Ales Dzyanisau and Andrei Myaleshka) were the first to come under scrutiny of the authorities.

On March 17 Ales Kirkevich appeared before local police officers; a day later Mr Dzyanisau had a talk with them. The trio is accused of contributing to Belsat TV.

Upon the demand of the KGB the police are conducting checks on the facts of violation of Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal production and distribution of media products). An article on the exhibition of Slutsk belts in the local museum of the history of religion that was published on belsat.eu gave ground for the checks.

“Kirkevich and I were called to the police; we had to give explanations. They said that the checks would have been completed by the end of March. Then they will send us a paper confirming that no case is opened against us, or a summons indicating that is an administrative case is to be initiated,” Ales Dzyanisau said. “As far as Hrodna is concerned, they are gradually tightening the screws.

The pressure is being exerted systematically, step by step in order to bar ‘undesirable‘ and discontented journalists from performing their professional duties. Now the door to the Museum of the History of Religion is closed for them, Ales Dzianisau said.

Another resident of Hrodna, Andrei Myaleshka, refused to go to the police without being summoned. Last year the journalist was tried three times. The court imposed fines totaled to105 basic units on him.

In Brest a protocol on Ales Lyauchuk‘s alleged violation of Article 22.9 was drawn up.The trial is to take place on March, 26.

“Last night police captain Raman Trafimuk was waiting for me at the door of my flat. He gave me a summons to the police. When I came, a police officer said that an administrative case was being conducted, but after the questioning the officer pulled a prepared protocol out of his desk,Lyauchuk told belsat.eu.

During the visit the reporter managed to webcast everything that was going on in the police station live.



Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

“They have claims to the article ‘Brest Residents Congratulated on Day of Defender with Machine Gun and Motorcycle with St. George Ribbon’. At that, the police had no evidence that I was the author of the article. But the signature ‘A.L.’ does not mean ‘Ales Lyauchuk’,” he said.

Their only witness is Anastasiya Krykunova, an employee of event agency ‘Holiday Office‘ that organised distribution of St. George ribbons at a mall in Hrodna.

“I never interviewed the girl. On this day I was at the scene as a private person, I was just outraged, and I wanted to know why they were using St. George ribbons, a symbol of terrorism in Ukraine,” Lyauchuk explains.

On March 19 Ihar Barysau, Editor of newspaper and news website ‘Our Mahiliou’ is to appear at a police station.

LА/MS

www.belsat.eu/en/

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