Mass repressions against journalists in Belarus

Apartment of journalists of foreign media are searched today all over Belarus. Militia ad KGB officers search apartments of journalists of Independent Radio Racyja. Journalists of non-state EuroRadio, who were in n office of one of Minsk companies, have become unavailable since morning. Apartments of journalists of the independent satellite TV channel Belsat are searched, too. Journalists are detained in Minsk, Homel, Hrodna, Vitsebsk, Brest, Babruisk and Byaroza.

According to the latest information, apartment of Eduard Melnikau, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, has been searched since 7.40am (the journalist is not in Belarus now). Militiamen have also come to journalists Anatol Hatouchyts from Homel, Alena Stsyapanava from Vitsebsk, and Tamara Shchapetkina from Byaroza.

KGB officers rushed into the apartment of Radio Racyja at 8.30 am. Charter’97 press center learnt it from Radio Racyja journalists. People in civvies watched the house, where a Radio Racyja journalist lends a flat, since morning. When one of the journalists came up to them, the people in civvies showed documents of KGB agents.

A radio journalist and KGB agents are in the apartment now. There is no information what is going on there. Mobile phone of the journalists is switched off.

KGB officers seized two computers and a photo camera from Anatol Hatouchyts’s apartment. They looked attentively all papers and documents.

Press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists informs, order for search of Hatouchyts’s was signed by deputy prosecutor of Minsk Struk. It says the searched is carried on the basis of article of the Criminal Code on denigration of honour and dignity.

Apartment of Alena Styapanava is being searched on the same ground.

Apartment of Alena Styapanava in Vitsebsk is being searched on the same ground. People in civvies and soldiers of the local military unit rushed into her apartment. KGB officers said her that a leaflet with information denigrating honour and dignity of Alyaksandr Lukashenka was spread in the city. A computer was seized from the journalist. She wasn’t allowed to speak on the phone during the search.

A BelaPAN journalist Alyaksandr Janusik was detained during the search in a Radio Racyja journalist’s apartment. He came there to study out the situation.

Andrei Shobin from Babruisk, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), received a telephone call at 11.00am. People introduced themselves as militia officers and said him to stay at home, as they would come to search the apartment. There is no connection with BAJ member from Babruisk Mikhail Parchanok. He is probably being searched, too.

One of the journalists of the polish TV channel Belsat has been detained in Minsk. BelaPAN has learnt it from one of his colleagues.

In the morning of 27 March coming up to the office, she heard shouts near the office, and noticed how three men in civvies were trying to detain a journalist. “There obviously was a fight. I understood the office is being searched and went away,” she told.

At the moment nobody takes phone in the Belsat office.

As Andrei Bastunets, lawyer of the public organization Belarusian Association of Journalists, said to BelaPAN, according to his information, searches are conducted all over the country. All journalists, who have any attitude to foreign media, are checked. It is made on a plea of a criminal code, allegedly initiated for insult of the president. But the searches were started simultaneously, so I think, the criminal case is just an excuse for neutralize journalists,” A. Bastunets said.

Persons in mufti burst into her apartment, accompanied by soldiers of local military unit. Secret services officers informed that a leaflet insulting honour and dignity of Alyaksandr Lukashenka had been disseminated in the city. A computer of the journalist was seized as well. During the search she was prohibited to answer the phone.

Alyaksandr Yanusik, BelaPAN journalist, was detained during the search of the apartment of Radio Racyja journalist. Yanusik had arrived to clear up details of the accident.

At about 11 a.m. in Babrujsk a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Andrei Shobin received a phone call. Persons not telling their name presented themselves as policemen and warned that a search would be made at his apartment. A member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists in Babrujsk Mikhail Larchonak is unavailable on the phone all the morning. Chances are, a search is made in his apartment as well.

One of journalists of Polish-based TV channel Belsat is arrested in Minsk. It has been reported by one of his colleagues.

When approaching the office on March 27, she heard screaming in front of the building of the office and notices three persons in mufti trying to detain the journalist. “Obviously, there had been a fight there. I understood that a police raid was taking place, and left immediately,” she said.

The phone of Belsat office is not answering at the moment.

As a lawyer of the public association the Belarusian Association of Journalists Andrei Bastunets told to BelaPAN, according to his knowledge, searches are held all over the country. All journalists that had been connected with Western media in this or that way have been attacked. It is done under a pretext of a criminal case allegedly brought up on charges relating insult of the president. But as long as all that started simultaneously, I believe that a criminal case is just a pretext for neutralizing journalists,” A. Bastunets said.

Today between 8 and 9 a.m. KGB men burst into apartments of all journalists and authors of Belsat. Most of them are detained. They are charged with insult of president Lukashenka. It has been informed to gazeta.pl by Editor-in-chief of Belsat informational programmes Alyaksei Dzikavitski. All persons who entered apartments during the searches at that moment were arrested.

The administration of Radio Racyja in Bialystock cannot say about their evaluation of the events in Minsk still.

As the director of the radio station Viktar Stakhvyuk told to BelaPAN, information about searches in apartments of Radio Racyja employees and journalists of other radio stations not having official offices in Belarus is received by them, but these reports are very fragmentary. When more concrete information is received, the management of the radio stations set to address independent lawyers and human rights watchdogs.

During the search at the apartment of Radio Racyja journalist Tamara Schepkina a computer was seized as well. Search warrant had been signed by the same deputy prosecutor of Minsk Struk.

As the Charter’97press-center has been informed by Hrodna journalist Andrzej Poczobutt, a search is held in internet-newspaper Pahonya office in Hrodna.

In the apartment of Homel independent journalist Dzmitry Karpenka a search is taking place, BelaPAN informs. On March 27 at about 8.30 a.m. unknown came to the apartment of the journalist who contributes to independent newspapers. The unknown said they were KGB officers. The grounds for the search are unknown. Phones of D. Karpenka are switched off – both home phone and the mobileone.

House of an independent journalist in Brest Natalya Chukhno is searched. As a human rights activist Ramak Kislyak told to BelaPAN, that as far as he knows, the search is carried out by KGB officers. At the moment inventory of the property attached, including office equipment, is made. There is no other information still.

As the Charter'97 press-center has been informed, all office equipment in Radio Racyja office is confiscated. A journalist Yuliya Kotskaya is taken to the KGB for interrogation.

Three majors of KGB directorate of Mahilyou region - R.Hajshun, A. Ramanau and E. Nikitsenka - came to the apartment of journalist Henadz Sudnik today at 8 a.m. the search lasted for more than 2 hours. Finally, a system blockof the computer was seized, Radio Svaboda informs.

Radio Racyja correspondent Barys Haretski and BelaPAN reporter Alyaksandr Yanusik are released.A journalist of Radio Racyja Yuliya Kotskaya are interrogated.

The BAJ informs that several KGB officers are standing in front of the door of a journalist Vadzim Barscheuski (Vitsebsk). They are standing there till morning. The journalist doesn't open the door to them.

A journalist Barys Haretski,who works for Radio Racyja, and who has been detained today by the KGB in one of Minsk apartments, is available on the phone again. He told that the search in the apartment rented by one of the radio employees was made by six officers of the KGB.

They confiscated all computers and sound-recording equipment, saying that they are carrying out an operation in the framework of the "cartoons" case, in which KGB investigators intensified their efforts. The case was brought up back in 2005 against activists of the Third Way organisation that produced political cartoons, and about the Belarusian president as well.

KGB officers together with workers of community services are getting ready in the apartment of Babrujsk journalist Andrei Shobin. As the human rights center Viasnainfroms, Shobin works for Belsat. His porch is blocked by KGB car.

A search in a private community center in Mahilyouheaded by Vitaly Vasilkou and Ryhor Kastusyou lastsfor more than an hour already. Mobile phones of the both activists are switched off. Entrance doors in the center premises are blocked by KGB officers. Four of them carry out search, Radio Svaboda informs.

A search in a culture center of "Batskauschyna" in Hrodna has finished. It lasted for two hours. The grounds are the same "cartoons" case. Assaid by humen rights activists, five computers are confiscated.

The search in the Belarusian Popular Front head office continues.

The human rights center Viasna informs that all equipment (computers, notebooks, Dictaphones, hard discs), business card holders, are taken away from the apartment rented by a reporter of Radio Racyja. All this is loaded into the GAZ car by people in mufti.

A search in the apartment of Navapolatsk journalist Andrei Alyaksandrau has finished. 2 hard discs, other data carriers have been seized from his home.

Computers, audio equipment and all information carriers have been confiscated from European Radio journalists.

As the BAJ press-service informs, under the order of a deputy prosecutor of Minsk A. Stuk, searches are to take place at 16 journalists. Some of them are unknown to us.

The list is as following:

Eduard Melnikau, Anatoly Hatouchyts, Vadzim Barscheuski (Vitsebsk; he hadn't allowed KGB men to enter yet), Alena Stsyapanava, Henadz Sudnik, Andrei Alyaksandrau, Tamara Schapyotkina, Andrei Shobin, Varabyou, Karpenka, Arshynski, Vasilkou, Brokarau, Chukhno, Dekh, Bely, Butsik.

The last name is unknown to everybody.