Journalist Maksim Khliabets warned against cooperation with foreign mass media

Independent journalist Maksim Khliabets was warned against his cooperation with foreign mass media without accreditation. In Brest region public prosecutor’s office he was told that the reason for the warning is two articles that appeared on the website of the Belarusian Radio “Racyja”.

- It took ten minutes only. Prosecutor Baharava handed over an official warning for two articles published by the Belarusian Radio “Racyja”. These articles were: “In the city on Bug river people will be meeting spring” and “Berascie celebrated World Poetry Day”; they were published in March 2013. I left my signature beneath the warning against working with independent media without accreditation.

Maksim will decide whether to legally challenge the warning after consultation with human rights defenders, Radio “Racyja” reports.

In April 2014, independent journalist was interrogated in police as a witness within an administrative case. However, the talk during interrogation was regarding his profession of a journalist, but not the case. At the end of the talk police officers proposed the journalist to cooperate which means to share important information with them. Maksim Khliabets declined the proposal.