General Prosecutor's Office gives formal reply to appeal of independent journalist

Brest journalist Alina Litvinchuk received an answer to her complaint from Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus, Aliaksandr Kaniuk. She appealed an official warning about the inadmissibility of the work of journalists without accreditation, issued to her at the end of 2012.

The answer was signed by Pavel Yeliseyeu, the deputy head of the department of supervision over the implementation of civil rights and liberties. It is very short and just tells the journalist that her complaint was forwarded to Brest Region Prosecutor's Office.

Alina Litvinchuk is very surprised at such approach because she appeals the actions of this very prosecutor's office, which has issued the warning to her.

Bear in mind that the official warning to the journalist was issued by the deputy prosecutor of Brest region Aliaksandr Talochka who concluded from some Internet information that she allegedly violated the rules of professional journalist activities for foreign media by working without accreditation.

In her appeal to Prosecutor General Alina Litvinchuk stated that she considered the warning as groundless, unlawful and liable to abolishment as far as those statements didn't meet the reality. Moreover, she reminded that the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ratified by Belarus) guarantee freedom of expression and the civil right to seek, receive and impart information.

On the basis of the aforesaid, Alina Litvinchuk states that the warning which was issued to her by Brest Region Prosecutor's Office violates her civil rights and liberties and asks to abolish it.