Interrogations of independent journalists

Independent journalists Natallia Radzina, Sviatlana Kalinkina and Iryna Khalip have been summoned to the Pershamaiski district police department of Minsk on 2 April.

The tree journalists are called in for questioning by Aliaksandr Puseu, a senior interrogating officer of the police department. Natallia Radzina, journalist of charter97.org website,was told by the senior interrogating officer that she was called in as a witness in the framework of the so-called 'hunters' case' and to be familiarized with the ruling about the seizure of computer equipment from charter97.org news office.

Iryna Khalip, wife of the leader of the European Belarus civil campaign Andrei Sannikau, a journalist of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, is also summoned for interrogation and familiarization with the order on computer and data carriers seizure.

Sviatlana Kalinkina, editor-in-chief of Narodnaya Volia has been also called to the police department of Pershamaiski district of Minsk. She was interrogated in this case on 26 March. The same day, the deputy editor of Narodnaya Volia Maryna Koktysh was interrogated as well.

Computers of all the four journalists were seized on 16 March. Human rights activists are convinced that crackdown on Natallia Radzina, Iryna Khalip, Maryna Koktysh and Sviatlana Kalinkina as a part of 'the hunters' case' is just a pretext for Belarusian authorities to destroy what is left from the freedom of expression in Belarus.