Lithuanian TV crew denied entry into Belarus

A film crew of the Lithuanian television (LTV) was denied entry into Belarus on Wednesday.

A correspondent of Panorama TV programme, Ruta Lankininkaite, was told on the border that she is a persona non grata in the country and her visa was annulled.

Lankininaite was going to Hrodna on Wednesday to see how Belarusians live with the falling national currency. “There were no problems at Raigardas border checkpoint, but a border guard at Privalka checkpoint said I as a journalist was a persona non grata in the country. He said my visa would be annulled, though my accreditation was still valid. He advised to clear up the situation in Minsk. All I could do was return home,” Lankininkaite told DELFI news agency.

The journalist informed the Lithuanian embassy in Minsk about the incident.

“Unfortunately, Belarus has isolated itself, closed its borders. In this case, there are no journalists with valid accreditation in the country. Alyaksandr Lukashenka fenced from the world and Lithuania in order nobody knows what is happening in the country,” the journalist said.

Lankininkaite says she has been working in Belarus for almost six years. She and cameraman Jonas Gryshkonis annually got working visas and year's accreditation giving the right to visit the neighbouring country.

“We seem to have been the only journalists who covered the events in the country. We were detained and beaten several times, our camera was broken. I think the latest rallies we visited exhausted patience of the Belarusian secret services,” the journalist said.