KGB finds "Belarus Press Photo-2011" album extremist
Photo journalist and co-organizer of
the contest "Belarus Press Photo" Yuliya Darashkevich
published this information at her Facebook account on 4 April. The
albums were confiscated at the border crossing point "Kamenny
Loh" on 12 November 2012.
As it is stated in the KGB
letter, published by charter97.org, the photo album "contains
deliberately distorted insinuations about the life of the Republic of
Belarus in the political, economical, social and other spheres which
don't meet the reality and insult the national honor and dignity of
citizens of the Republic of Belarus". "The choice of the
photos for the photo album in the aggregate reflects only negative
sides of the life of the Belarusian people together with the author's
own insinuations and conclusions, which, with the view of the
socially accepted norms and morals, insults the national honor and
dignity of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, diminishes the
authority of the state power organs, undermines the trust of foreign
states, foreign and international organizations to them," is
stated in the letter.
On 21 February 2013 officers of Ashmiany
customs office answered the inquiry of the Belarusian Association of
Journalists concerning the fate of the confiscated photo albums,
saying that the 41 albums had been passed to the State Security
Committee (KGB). Then the KGB did conclude that the content of the
photo albums was extremist.
Yuliya Darashkevich and Vadzim
Zamirouski who transported the albums to Belarus are summonsed to
Ashmiany District Court on 17 April.
