Journalist to be punished for resenting St George ribbon

Five independent journalist were called to the police in the last day.

Journalists from Hrodna Ales Kirkevich, Ales Dzianisau and Andrei Mialeshka were the first to face pressure.

Ales Kirkevich visited a police station on March 17, Ales Dzianisau talked to the police the next day. They are accused of working for Belsat TV.

The police carry out an inquiry on the request of the KGB in connection with the “illegal production and distribution of mass media products” (article 22.9, part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences). The inquiry was caused by an article on Belsat's website about an exhibition of Slutsk belts in the museum of the history of religion in Hrodna.

“Kirkevich and I were called to the police to give explanations. They said an inquiry would be carried out by the end of March. After that we will either receive a notice that a case won't be opened or a summons to the police,” Ales Dzianisau says. “As for Hrodna, they have begun to tighten the screws.”

The authorities exert pressure stage by stage to prevent “unwanted” journalists from working. Journalists cannot work with the museum of the history of religion any more, Aliaksandr Dzianisau thinks.

Another journalist from Hrodna, Andrei Mialeshka, refused to visit a police station without a summons. He was tried three times last year and fined a total of 105 penalty units.

Journalist Aliaksandr Liauchuk from Brest was charged with violating part 2 of article 22.9. He will be tried on March 26.

“Captain Roman Trafimchuk met me in the evening just outside the door of my home. He handed me in a summons. I visited the police station. A police officer said I was involved in administrative proceedings. He questioned me and took a ready-made police report from a drawer,” Aliaksandr Liachuk says.

“The ground was the article on Belsat's website titled 'Brest Residents Congratulated on Day of Defender with Machine Gun and Motorcycle with St George Ribbon'. The police didn't have any proofs that I had written the story. The signature 'A.L.' does not necessarily stand for Aliaksandr Liachuk,” the journalist says.

Anastasia Krykunova, an employee of the event agency Holiday Office that organised celebrations with St George ribbons in a shopping mall, is a witness in the case.

“I didn't interview the girl. I was at the scene as a private person. I just resented the St George ribbons. I asked a representative of the agency why they used that ribbon, which is a symbol of terrorism in Ukraine,” Aliaksandr Liauchuk says.

Ihar Barysau, the editor of the website Our Mahilou, is to visit a police station on March 19.