Committee of state control arrested equipment of cinematographers :: Charter'97 :: News

Representatives of Committee of state control arrested equipment that costs about 15 thousand dollars. Mambers of Union of cinematographers were using it. Official reason – equipment was not registered as property of the Union. But film-maker Yury Khashchevatsky suspects that action of state controllers ca have political reasons.

Some bureaucrats from committee of state control came to Union of cinematographers and arrested equipment for sound recording and also private things of Union members. Arrested equipment is property of Russian enterprise “Cinema-factory named after Dmitry Kharitonov”, it was stored in Belarusan Union of cinematographers. Many Belarusan films were made with the help of this equipment.
Witness of the happening Yury Khashchevatsky tells:
-- They came, arrested the equipment and taken it away. What was their motivation? They said that the equipment was stored here, and we had to pass it through customs. But none brought it to Belarus. Cinema-factory bought the equipment here. And they said many other cense-less things. They said that if you have slippers on your working place you need to register it on balance of the enterprise. So if you bring your own thing, it becomes state property.
Controllers also arrested private things of workers of cinema-studio “Tatiana” and some pictures of artist Bronislava Loban, which were placed on the wall of Union of cinematographers.
-- I see not only stupidity of bureaucrats but some other things too. I think that it is motivated by my presence on this studio. And also it is motivated by discontent of authorities by other members of Union of cinematographers. I’m sure that it is made to shut two-three mouths more.
Russian Cinema-factory and Belarusan Union of cinematographers are negotiating with Committee of state control and try to take the arrested property back. As Yury Khashchevatsky said if this negotiations don’t give result film-makers will protect their rights in court.