21.09.2009 Procuracy continues to persecute independent journalists

Journalist from Homel Aleh Razhkou, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists received a summons to the Homel region prosecutor’s office on September 18.

As baj.by reports, prosecutor Alesya Rabtsava invites the journalist for a conversation as a witness on September 22.

At the beginning of the year, Rabtsava gave warning to Aleh Razhkou for “journalistic activity for Polish satellite TV channel Belsat without accreditation”.

Aleh Razhkou thinks the prosecutor is going to give him another warning. The journalist phoned the prosecutor’s office and was told it would be n ordinary prosecutor’s examination.

21.09.2009 For Freedom regional activist to face eighth prosecution within two years

Siarhei Panamarou, member of the For Freedom movement and publisher of the Boiki Kletsk independent newsletter from Kletsk, Minsk region, is likely to face another criminal charge under Article 188-2 of the Criminal Code (libel). In 2007, he was charged with libel against local state legal advisor Natallia Semashkevich in a publication in the Boiki Kletsk. The criminal prosecution was five times suspended and five times resumed. Two different expert assessments failed to find any violations of the Criminal Code. This time, the article is going to undergo another examination.

18.09.2009 Journalists protest against riot policemen’s lawlessness at opposition rallies

The Belarusian Association of Journalists expresses its protest against harsh interference to professional activities during the rallies on September 16 and 9.

As noted in the statement of the organisation, on September 16 in the evening law-enforcers used force interfering Belarusian and foreign journalists to shoot the events during the rally in commemoration of disappearances of politicians Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski 10 years ago. “People in plainclothes acted rudely, closing the lenses of cameras, with the risk to damage equipment and hurt journalists, pushed them away from the scene of events, though journalists had identity documents of their editorial offices,” the BAJ statement underlines.

03.09.2009 Distributors of Communist newspaper detained in Svetlahorsk

Today at 8 a.m. policemen and KGB men detained activists of the Communist party of Belarus Svyatlana Mikhalchanka and Valery Rybchanka.

Communists of Svetlahorsk were handing out leaflets and Tovarishch newspaper near the Khimvolokno enterprise, Radio Svaboda informs.

“We were taken to a police department,” Valery Rybchanka said. “And we were not told what we had violated. Now we are waiting for a police officer. No one from the policemen knows what to do with us”.

24.08.2009 NTV journalist Aleksey Malkov: “Belarusian secret services threatened me openly”

The deported Russian journalist says people in mufti questioned him in a neglected sanatorium in the forest.

We remind that a film crew of the Russian NTV channel, namely journalist Andrei Malkov and camera operator Yury Babenko, was deported from Belarus on August 14. The film crew was making a report about the missing politicians and public activists. The Russian journalist interviewed the wife of parliamentary vice speaker Viktar Hanchar disappeared in 1999 and the wife of journalist Zmitser Zavadski, who disappeared in 2000. The international community accuses a number of high-ranking Belarusian officials from Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s inner circle of their involvement in the kidnapping.

21.08.2009 Prosecutor’s office warned Mahilou journalist for working for Belsat

Member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Volha Sharapkina is punished for activity without accreditation.

As Radio Svaboda reports, the journalist got a warning from the prosecutor’s office of the Chavusy district. According to Volha Sharapkina, the reason was her report about the children’s home in Chavusy shown on independent Belsat TV channel.

“Prosecutor of Chavusy Syarhei Kinau gave me the warning,” Volha Sharapkina tells. “He said I had the right to appeal against the warning. I am going to take legal advice. We made a report about a charity action in the children’s home.

17.08.2009 Correspondent of Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita got warning

Andrzej Pisalnik, a correspondent of Rzeczpospolita in Belarus, got an official warning for an “intention to spread newspapers without imprints”.

As Radio Svaboda reports, the journalist got a official warning from prosecutors for the fact copies of Magazyn Polski na Uchodzstwie and newspaper Glos znad Niemna had been found in his car and confiscated by militia in Shchuchyn in June. According to prosecutors, he allegedly was going to spread them illegally.

17.08.2009 Russian journalists arrested and deported from Belarus

An NTV film crew was shooting a film in Minsk about the disappeared politicians.

Aleksey Malkov and Yury Babenko were detained on August 14 in the hotel of the International Education Center (IBB) where they had stayed.

As the website www.charter97.org learnt that officers of secret services in mufti got the journalists out of the room at 7:00 p.m. The people signed Malkov and Babenko out. According to the preliminary information, the journalists were guarded to the Maskouski district militia department.

13.08.2009 State monopolist ‘Beposhta’ refuses to return subscription to oppositional media

The postal monopolist didn’t include independent newspapers Svobodnye Novosti Plus and Hantsavitski Chas in the subscription catalogue for the second half of year 2009.

11.08.2009 KGB is reluctant to explain reasons for warning to Yan Roman

Ihar Siarheyenka, head of Hrodna oblast KGB department, refuses to explain the reasons for an official warning to Yan Roman, journalist for Radio Racyja.

31.07.2009 Court denied human rights activists and took side of “Sovetskaya Belorussia”

The Minsk City Court dismissed the claim of Halina Yubko, head of the initiative “Women against Lawlessness in Courts and Procuracy” against the newspaper of Lukashenka’s Administration.

The Savetski district court of Minsk dismissed the claim against “Sovetsakaya Belorusia” a month ago, Radio Svaboda reports.

Halina Yubko found offensive the information spread by the newspaper in February about the initiative “Women against Lawlessness in Courts and Procuracy”. The newspaper wrote that women unsatisfied with court judgements allegedly “press courts with tears and cries”. Halina Yubko, found a victim by court, can’t reach a solution of case for some years, said at the trial she “had used only legal means and was seeking the rights guaranteed by the Constitution”.

29.07.2009 Prosecutor’s office issued warning to Union of Poles’ magazine’s editor-in-chief

The prosecutor’s office of Hrodna believes that “Magazyn Polski na uchodzstwie” violates the Belarusian law.

As Radio Racyja was informed by the editor-in-chief Ihar Bantsar, the motive for issuing a warning were his professional activities and the fact that the magazine of the Union of Poles in Belarus which is not recognized by the authorities, headed by Anzelika Borys, does not have an imprint required by the Belarusian law

28.07.2009 Editor of magazine of Union of Poles in Belarus summoned to prosecutor’s office

Editor-in-chief of “Magazyn Polski na uchodźstwie” Ihar Bantsar received a summons from the prosecutor’s office of the Hrodna region saying he must give explanations to the deputy prosecutor.

Ihar Bantsar doesn’t exclude the reason for summons was the May issue of “Magazyn Polski na uchodźstwie”, containing a number of critical materials about Alyaksandr Lukashenka and measures taken by the committee of state security (KGB) against independent journalists. Besides, a collage depicting Lukashenka as Russian tsar Alexander III was placed on the cover, the independent journalist told Radio Svaboda.

28.07.2009 Prosecutor's office checks whether Belsat TV channel works in Belarus

The prosecutor’s office of Shklou studies the complaint by an engineer of a news paper plant against an independent Mahilyou-based journalist Henadz Sudnik.

As informed by Radio Svaboda, today Henadz Sudnik has been giving explanations to the prosecutor of Shklou’s prosecutor’s office.

The journalist was served a summons to the prosecutor’s office. The conversation lasted for about an hour. Henadz Sudnik called the complaint by the chief engineer a provocation.

27.07.2009 ARCHE magazine denied right to distribution

The editor-in-chief of the ARCHE analytical magazine Valer Bukhakau has received a letter from head of the Belsayuzdruk state press distribution monopoly Ihar Dudzich, saying that the magazine will not be able to be sold through the state-owned network due to ‘overload.’ Mr.Bulhakau says there have not been many changes in the field of distribution of independent media, since the conditions are still very unequal.