Freelance journalist detained in Svietlahorsk

Freelance journalist Kanstantsin Zhukouski was detained in Svietlahorsk last afternoon as he was filming a video outside the district executive committee building.

The journalist was going to cover a meeting of local entrepreneurs, but was detained by police officers after a complaint from an employee of the ideology department. “I saw police officers pulling him out of the building. Kanstantsin Zhukouski was then taken to the police station,” said an eyewitness of the incident.

The freelance journalist has been repeatedly detained by police for interviewing people and shooting videos in the various cities of the Homieĺ region. He has been also tried under Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal manufacturing of media products). Since the beginning of the year, he has been convicted in Karma, Kalinkavičy, Žytkavičy, Mazyr, Homieĺ, and Žlobin. He has been sentenced to a total of 70 million in fines.