belarus executive summary - US Department of State

BELARUS 21
welcomed the prosecutor general’s statement in July that police officers should be
punished if they impeded journalists covering protests; however, according to press
reports no sanctions against police followed.
Routine harassment of journalists was also common. For example, on March 25,
police detained BelaPAN news agency correspondent Uladzimir Laptsevich and
BAJ member Dzmitry Salauyou at a Freedom Day demonstration. Three days
later, a court in Mahilyou convicted the two of using obscenities and resisting
police orders. Laptsevich was sentenced to seven days in jail, and Salauyou
received five days. Authorities refused Laptsevich’s request for trial proceedings
to be conducted in Belarusian or for an interpreter to be present.
On June 15, Hrodna-based journalist Ihar Bantsar was jailed for five days on
charges of minor hooliganism. Police arrested Bantsar just outside his home on
June 14 to prevent him from attending his associate Andrzej Paczobut’s court
hearing.
Authorities also harassed and obstructed the work of foreign journalists.
Following the crackdown on civil society, political opposition, and independent
media in the wake of the December 2010 postelection demonstrations, a number of
journalists reporting for international media were detained, interrogated, searched,
and threatened with prosecution for their coverage of political events and ongoing
criminal investigations. For example, on February 16, authorities questioned
Belsat correspondent Tatsyana Bublikava about her cooperation with foreign
media. On February 28, the prosecutor general issued her a warning that she could
face liability for working without accreditation.
On March 28, the Foreign Ministry recalled the newly issued accreditation of
Russian journalist Aleksandr Lashmankin, editor in chief of the Samara-based
Svoboda news agency. Authorities detained him upon arrival in Vorsha on March
24, and jailed him for three days on charges of disorderly conduct. On May 30,
police arrested Russian “Dozhd” television channel correspondent Rodion
Marinichev after he interviewed political prisoner Iryna Khalip. Officers
confiscated his materials, deported him, and banned him from the country for five
years.
On June 27, two BBC journalists were notified by the Belarusian embassy in
London that their visas were cancelled and they could not travel to Belarus despite
being accredited by the Foreign Ministry. Citing a right not to give an explanation
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor