2010-08-16

Police Officers Interfere with Journalists’ Work in Minsk Again

The BAJ Press-service, 13 July 2010

People in plain clothes tried to cover with their hand cameras of journalists who were present at a flash mob, organized by activists of «Tell the Truth» campaign 12 August 2010 in front of the Ministry of Education.
Zmicier Lukashuk, a journalist of the European Radio for Belarus, filmed his conversation with a person in plain clothes who demanded the journalist to produce his accreditation and after checking the document forbade filming all the same.
According to information of BAJ, journalists of Nasha Niva Tatsiana Haurylchyk and Julia Darashkevich, a journalist of Radio Liberty Halina Abakunchyk and a photo reporter Uladzimir Hrydzin faced similar interference in their activities.
Activists of «Tell the Truth» campaign planned to hand in to the Minister of Education Aliaksandr Radzkou a petition that demanded liquidation of Youth Activities Department of the Ministry; besides, they intended to show journalists and passers by «A Calendar of Belarusian Youth’s Life». People in plain clothes with radio transmitters who guarded the place in front of the Ministry took the calendars away form the young people.
The activists still managed to enter the building, where a person who said he was the minister’s assistant accepted the petition. Journalists were allowed in only after they had switched off their equipment. After the action was over Mihas Pashkevich, an activist of the campaign, was detained by two people in plain clothes who took him to a car. Journalists were not allowed to follow them.
It is worth reminding that since September 2009 Belarusian journalists has got brutally prevented from implementing their professional duties on a regular basis. As a rule, people in plain clothes that interfere with reporters appear to be police officers.

Pictures published on http://baj.by/m-p-viewpub-tid-1-pid-8882.html