Freelance journalist Alina Litvinchuk faces new charges

Freelance journalist Alina Litvinchuk is facing new administrative charges under Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal production and distribution of media products), according to police officer Andrei Ivanitski.

The police officer visited the journalist’s apartment. At first he interviewed Ms. Litvinchuk as a witness in a beating incident. After Alina Litvinchuk explained that she had nothing to tell in this case, since on the day it was not in Brest, Ivanitski suddenly announced that a new administrative case had been opened against the independent journalist and even tried to leave a summons for April 29.

Alina Litvinchuk refused to sign the summons before a formal interrogation and access to the case file. Then the police officer wrote another summons urging the journalist to appear at police station No. 5 of Brest for questioning as an accused, but when Ms. Litvinchuk came to the police station, she did not find the policeman there. Moreover, Andrei Ivanitski did not answer her phone calls.

This year, Alina Litvinchuk has been twice punished by the court on charges of “illegal manufacture and distribution of media products”. On January 13, she was fined 30 basic units, and in February - another 40 basic units, while the journalist was not even invited to the latter trial.