17.03.2010 Committee to Protect Journalists denounces police raids on independent journalists in Belarus

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned Tuesday`s wave of police raids targeting independent reporters in Belarus.

17.03.2010 Policemen confiscate 50 thousand issues of independent newspaper in Vitsebsk

Employees of Vitsebsk District Executive Committee have confiscated 50 thousand issues of the “Our Home” newspaper printed by a civil initiative of the same name. Activists of the initiative Volha Karach and Victar Ramnyou were trying to bring the unregistered edition from Smolensk

16.03.2010 Policemen were breaking into flat of Belarusian journalist

Policemen with attesting witnesses were trying to break into the flat of a Belarusian journalist Yuliya Darashkevich on March 15 in the evening.

The photo journalist of “Nasha Niva” newspaper Yuliya Darashkevich and her husband, an activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Paval Yukhnevich refused to open the door. Policemen were ringing the door and tapping on the door for a long time, but finally left saying that the journalist should come to the police department of Central district of Minsk at 11 a.m. to inspector Andrei Saladun.

16.03.2010 Border guards seize car of Maryna Koktysh, ‘Narodnaya Volia’ journalist

The car Maryna Koktysh bought in Lithuania was seized and sent for expert evaluation. The journalist detained at Kamenny Loh border crossing point at 2:30 p.m. on 12 March. The woman was driving the car from Lithuania. The Belarusian border guards told the journalist the car was on the international wanted list. The journalist told RFE/RL that Lithuania denies this information. Koktysh went on hunger strike protesting against actions of customs officers.

25.02.2010 Barysau district authorities support information access restrictions

The officials, who refused to provide information to the Borisovskie Novosti independent newspaper on 19 January, did not violate the law, says the official letter by Barysau district executive committee.

23.02.2010 Hrodna journalist charged with arbitrariness

Hrodna independent journalist Ales Dzianisau was charged with arbitrariness by the local police department and may be fined under civil proceedings, Radio Racyja reports. Ales Dzianisau was detained a month ago in a Hrodna public school while making a story on optional school courses, which was deemed as violation of his Constitutional rights.

19.02.2010 Hrodna: BAJ member not admitted to press conference

On 17 February Viktar Parfionenka, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, wasn’t admitted to the quarterly press conference in the Hrodna oblast executive committee dedicated to development of the region. It was the first press conference with participation of Ivan Zhuk as acting Chairperson of the Hrodna oblast executive committee.

18.02.2010 Vitsebsk: Barys Khamaida detained again

On 18 February in Vitsebsk, Barys Khamaida, activist of the Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front, was detained for two hours for distribution of the party magazine Belaruskiya Vedamastsi. The official reason for the detention was that the policemen needed to check-up the literary editions and periodicals that were distributed by Mr. Khamaida.

17.02.2010 State media during election campaign: expert opinion

Assessing the role of mass media in covering the election campaigns, Lidziya Yarmoshyna, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, stated that ‘state mass media have the right to criticize opposition candidates during elections’, but ‘forgot’ to add that pro-governmental candidates also can be subject to similar critique with the aim of creating equal conditions for all candidates.

17.02.2010 Working place of journalist Maryna Koktysh searched by police

At about 12.30 a.m. on 17 February the Belarusian Association of Journalists learned about the search in the editorial office of the Narodnaya Volia newspaper, at the working place of deputy editor Maryna Koktysh.

15.02.2010 ’Vitebskiy Kurier’ still has problems with distribution

On 4 February in Vitsebsk, the police detained the newspaper distributeor Maryia Stsepaniuk and guarded her to the Chyhunachny district police department (DPD). Police Major Aleh Alt charged her with violating Article 22.9, part 2 of the Administrative Code, ‘distribution of periodical without registration in the Republic of Belarus’. Siarhei Blazhevich, DPD head, passed the case materials to court. All copies of the newspaper were confiscated from the detainee.

09.02.2010 How Belarusian riot militia impedes and threaten journalists

Riot militiamen were threatening bodily harm to journalists during dispersing an opposition demonstration on February 8.

This can be seen and heard on the footage by Radio Svaboda journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich. Riot militiamen didn’t react to a journalist’s request to stop hindering him to perform professional duties, but continued pushing him and close camera with their hands.

05.02.2010 “Narodnaya Volya“ fined for advertising BelSat TV

The independent Belarusian newspaper will have to pay a fine of 700,000 rubles.

On February 4, the Leninski district court of Minsk found the paper guilty of violating the Law on Advertising and fined it.

04.02.2010 BelSat journalist sentenced to 10 days of prison

Ivan Shulha, journalist of the Poland-based BelSat independent TV channel, has been sentenced to 10 days of imprisonment for violating Article 17.1 of the Civil Code (disorderly conduct).

04.02.2010 European Union condemns decree on Internet censorship in Belarus

The European Union thinks the decree puts more restrictions on freedom of speech in Belarus.

Lutz Guellner, a spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, commented on the decree regulating activity of websites in Belarus, Radio Svaboda reports.