Independent journalist issued a warning over interview

Independent journalist Dzmitry Krauchuk received an official warning from the Minsk prosecutor's office.

The law enforcement officers carried out an investigation to prove the journalist had prepared a material for Belsat TV.

The cameraman was invited to the prosecutor's office on the phone. Senior prosecutor Mikhail Khortau handed in a written warning against cooperation with foreign mass media without accreditation. “According to the available information and the documents, you were near the Minsk City Court on 24.01.2012 filming an interview of the people who attended the trial over Byalyatski's appeal,” the document reads. “The fact of you cooperation with foreign mass media, including Polish Belsat TV, has been proved by the report in the evening news programme “In Focus” on Belsat.”

The official warning was issued by deputy prosecutor of Minsk Kezhun.

“Mikhail Khortau, the senior prosecutor of the department who handed in a warning to me, was very polite. We almost did not talk, all warnings were prepared beforehand. I think I am not the only one who gets a warning,” Dzmitry Krauchuk says. He thinks special proofs were used to prepare the warnings – plainclothes policemen often film not only participants of protest actions, but also independent journalists.

One more journalist, Volha Chaichyts, was also invited to the prosecutor's office, but she refused to go unless an official summons is sent to her.