Belarus police threaten Belsat TV contributor with taking her son away


The Belarusian authorities may take her 10-year-old child away and put him in a state-owned boarding school, Homiel-based freelance journalist Larysa Shchyrakova said on Facebook.

 

Shchyrakova’s son Svyataslau usually spends weekends with his grandfather and grandmother. Yesterday Homiel police officers visited the journalist’s parents to talk about their grandson’s future.

They warned Shchyrakova’s family against her performing journalistic activities. According to the policemen, juvenile inspection officers may board the boy out because the woman committed a number of acts ‘punishable under administrative law’.

Larysa Shchyrakova, who has been contributing to Belsat TV for several years, has repeatedly been tried for ‘illegal production and distribution of media products’. Last Friday, she was 161 BYN fined for covering protests against the so-called ‘parasite’ law in the Belarusian town of Rahachou.


Decree Nr 3 signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka in April, 2015 established the obligation of the citizens of Belarus, foreign citizens permanently residing in Belarus, stateless persons, who did not participate in the financing of public spending or participated in such financing less than 183 days (six months – ed.) in the past year, to pay a fee of 20 basic units (appr. $230).

On March 15, Constitution Day, marches of non-parasites were held in MinskMahiliou and Hrodna. When arresting protesters on Wednesday, plainclothes policemen refused to show their IDsused violence and even fired tear gas.

Belsat.eu

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