On Tuesday, Belarusian security officers made an unexpected visit to the editorial office of the media outlet Hantsavitski Chas (Hantsavichy Time).
The reason for the search in Hantsavitski Chas is not known yet. The police confiscated mobile phones from the employees, as well as all computers in the office.
The newspaper Hantsavitski Chas remains the only independent print publication in Brest region. But in light of today’s raid and seizure of equipment, it is unclear whether the editorial office will manage to give the next edition into print on October 6.
It is not the first search that has been conducted in the editorial office of Hantsavitski Chas. The company Media Hantsavichy is also the founder of the First Region news website. The places of employees of the editorial office (not only in Hantsavichy, but also in other cities and towns), were searched at least 15 times throughout the past year. Some pieces of the equipment seized have not yet been given back.
