Computers and Office Equipment Not Returned to Zgoda Newspaper

On 8 April the new issue of Zgoda came out. However, Aliaksei Karol, chief editor of the newspaper, said it became possible only due to the journalist solidarity, because the computers and the office equipment still haven’t been returned to the editorial office.

We should remind that on 24 March the police came to the editorial office of the newspaper without the procurator’s sanction. They said that an unknown person phoned them and said that the fly-sheets that were harmful to the authority of the state power were printed in the editorial office. The police confiscated the computers and the organization equipment without composing any reports. Among the confiscated equipment there were items, lent by the US Embassy. Aliaksei Karol has negotiated with the police and the procurator’s office for more than two weeks already. The procurator’s office violates the 10-day term for answering the complaint – 18 days have passed already.

Aliaksei Karol:
-- I haven’t received any detailed answers. They hinted they continued to look for something, I don’t know what. It means that that they failed to confirm the charges upon which they confiscated the equipment. We didn’t produce any fly-sheets. I have twice applied to the procurator’s office, they answered they were working on our application. They still haven’t answered to it. They said only that some violation were really found, but the police didn’t have any sanction and didn’t give any documents that the documents were confiscated, arrested or I don’t know how to say what happened to them. Nevertheless, the equipment is still there.