Rare case in Belarus: Reporter gets compensation for unlawful imprisonment in KGB


The Belarusian Finance Ministry is to pay Br 8 mln (appr. $400) to photojournalist Anton Surapin who was arrested by the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) in 2012. Submitting his suit to court, the reported demanded Br 190 mln compensation.

On July 4, 2012 hundreds of teddy bears carried in a plane piloted by two Swedes, Tomas Mazetti and Hannah Freyparachuted down on the Belarusian capital and its vicinity in a show of support for the country’s pro-democracy movement.The campaign launched by Studio Total aimed at raising the world’s awareness on the situation in Belarus.

On July 13, Anton Surapin, whose news web site first released pictures of teddy bears was arrested by the State Security Committee (KGB) and later charged with aiding the Swedes in illegal border crossing. He spent 35 days in the KGB prison although the only thing he had done was posting the ‘inappropriate’ photos on the Internet.

Read also: Lukashenka fires two generals and vice prime minister for teddy bear drop

The journalist planned to sue the investigators for the unlawful detention, but he could not obtain all necessary documents and meanwhile lost one year while serving in the army. Upon return, he submitted his suit to court with the help of lawyers of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

“When I filed a lawsuit, there was little chance of success. At that time the KGB failed to issue any statement saying that I do have a right to such compensation – and they have not done it by the moment yet,” Anton Surapin told belsat.eu.

The journalist expressed gratitude to all who supported him and stressed that one should seek legal redress ‘even in this state’:

It is the first time for many years when a person recognized a political prisoner by the international community has been succeeded claiming for being compensated by the Belarusian authorities.

At the moment, Surapin has two options: to appeal to the Supreme Court to increase the sum of compensation, because 8 million rubles (around 400$) for a month of arrest and a year under recognizance is incomparable. Another option is to lodge an appeal to the General prosecutor’s office to make the KGB officially bring apologies for the story.

belsat.eu, following baj.by

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