OMON riot policeman Andrey Bekish has gone to court, accusing the independent Belarusian portal Nasha Niva (nn.by) of spreading false information, discrediting his honour and tarnishing professional reputation.
In the thick of the election campaign in July, the officer took part in dispersing protests in Minsk; a photo of him being out of uniform at the rally appeared on the Internet. Nasha Niva published an article that contained comments they got from Bekish’s former classmates.
The authors say that the man gained notoriety after he had showed great enthusiasm when beating up peaceful protesters. The portal also cited a source claiming that Bekish had been dreaming of becoming a riot policeman since his childhood. For example, he could unexpectedly attack a person, one of the interviewees said.
“What a shame, what a coward he must be to do something like that. I thought better of him,” Bekish’s acquaintance told Nasha Niva.
Andrey Bekish believes that those comments were ‘intentionally biased in order to create a negative attitude’ towards him. In his opinion, the media outlet published false information that discredits his honour and dignity. He demands the article be corrected and seeks BYN 3,000 compensation for moral harm.
