Journalist demands to stop administrative prosecution

The publisher and editor of “Kryvinka” newspaper in the Beshenkovichy district is accused of violating the rules of newspaper distribution.

Trial was scheduled for January 4, but Heorhy Stankevich failed to appear in court due to illness. He earlier sent a compliant demanding to stop the administrative proceedings, because he thinks police violated his rights during the detention.

He reminds that he was detained on November 5, after an anonymous telephone call to the local police department. As a police report reads, two dwellers of Beshenkovichy phoned to police after they had found “Kryvinka” newspaper in the mailbox.

On November 5, the court of Beshenkovichy said there were some errors in the report that should be corrected by police.

On December 12, Stankevich tried to appeal against the administrative report, but has not received an answer from the chief of the Beshenkovichy police department. On December 19, his appeal to evaluate the law on mass media by the Constitutional Court to find out if the above mentioned law comply with the Constitution of Belarus was declined. His appeal to find a professional translator to translate the court papers from Russian to Belarusian was not satisfied.

Heorhy Stankevich stressed he had not received any written summonses to police department, though declared his desire to give evidence. He was not informed about the completed inquiry in the administrative case and sending the case to court.

He demands to close the case, because he did not consider himself guilty, and insists the persons involved in violating the Procedure Code on Administrative Offences of Belarus should be punished, Viasna human rights centre reports.