Prosecutor’s Office Warned Journalist Iryna Khalip For Article In “Novaya Gazeta” :: Charter'97 :: News

The prosecutor’s office of Minsk warned a well-known journalist Iryna Khalip for writing articles for Russian “Novaya Gazeta”, dedicated to presidential elections in Belarus and protest actions against rigged results of the vote. More then ten articles by Iryna Khalip written before and after presidential elections have been included to the list made by the Prosecutor’s office.

In the official warning signed by deputy prosecutor of Minsk N. Semizhon it was said that the articles of the journalist allegedly “contained untrue information about the results of the presidential vote, alleged violations of voters’ rights, and knowingly untrue information about the Republic of Belarus, information insulting honour and dignity of president of Belarus”.

The journalist has been warned that she could be charged with violation of the Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, “discrediting Belarus”. She faces an arrest for up to 6 months or restraint of liberty for up to two years. For violation of the Article 367 of the Criminal Code – “libelling the president of Belarus”, she could be sentenced to a fine, corrective labour for up to two years, restriction of liberty for up to 4 years.

“It is strange that this warning is announced now, in the second part of May, two months later. All this time the regime was busy with arrests, trials over resistance activists. And now, when many of them have either served 15 days or would be sentenced to longer terms, a quieter period has come, and now the time for journalists has come. I was asked for explanations, but I have nothing to add. I have said everything I wanted. All my information and all my comments were published. I am grateful for the Novaya Gazeta, which really objectively covered the events in Belarus. As for me personally, I continue my work,” Iryna Khalip commented on the warning of the prosecutor’s office to the Charter’97 press-center.