Equipment not given back  to Anton Surapin

A journalist cannot work without his camera that was seized.

Photojournalist Anton Surapin, who has spent a month in the KGB jail over teddy bear photos, has been looking for a flat for several weeks. Anton is a student of the faculty of journalism of Belarusian State University, but he lives in the town of Slutsk. He was held behind bars while others students were looking for flats in Minsk. When he finally was later released on his own recognizance, few flats for rent remained in Minsk. Anton Surapin tells the website charter97.org what he will do if he doesn't find a place to live.

“There are no hopes to rent a flat, so I am looking for a room. The problem is that I need to live close to the metro – as a journalist I should be able to get to any corner of the city quickly. The flats and rooms proposed for rent are either too expensive or too far from metro stations. But I will go on my searches. If I don't find anything, well, I will live on the railway central station,” the journalist laughs.

Anton Surapin is a founder of bnp.by website. He was arrested after he had posted photos of teddy bears on the site. His equipment was seized.

“I haven’t received back my camera and other equipment. I solved the problem with a computer, but I can't take photos without a camera. I only write and edit texts for my website Belarusian News Photo,” Surapin noted.

Surapin cannot leave Slutsk without permission, but if he rents a flat in the capital, he will be forbidden to leave Minsk. Anton Surapin tells a charter97.org correspondent he is sure he will manage to find a flat, settle a problem of movement restrictions and continue his study in BSU.

We remind a light Swedish airplane overflew the Belarusian border undetected on July 4. The plane released teddy bears with free speech leaflets over Ivyanets and outskirts of Minsk. The Belarusian authorities had been denying the fact of the flight until July 26 saying the investigation was “under way”.  Photographer Anton Surapin, who posted photos of teddy bears near Ivyanets on the Internet, and estate agent Syarhei Basharymau, who rented out a flat for the Swedes, were arrested. On August 7, they were charged with helping to cross the border illegally. Both may face up to 7 years in prison.

The journalist and the estate agent were released on their own recognizance on August 17. Both are still under investigation.