Journalist at Lukashenka's press conference: Journalists cannot leave room

Representatives of the media were ordered to switch off their mobile phones.

Radio Svaboda's journalist Valer Kalinouski is at the press conference now. He says how it looks like:

“This room in the Palace of Independence has never been used for press conferences. Journalists were ordered to switch off their mobile phones 15 minutes before the beginning. It is impossible to leave the room, because the door is behind Lukashenka's back.

Delegation of journalists of state-owned media arrived from different districts. Each region sent a bus of its journalists.

Journalists of state-owned media sit at the front, independent ones sit at the back of the room.”

Lukashenka gives an annual press conference today. It involves 260 journalists from 152 newspapers, 16 news agencies, 3 online newspapers, 26 television channels, 41 radio stations, including regional programmes. Belarusian regions are represented by 142 journalists.