Searches of journalists’ apartments – response to OSCE?
2- 27.03.2008, 13:52
State mustn’t control the Internet. Roland Bless, Director of the OSCE Representative Office on Freedom of the Media, said it on 26 March at the meeting in the “house of representatives” of the “national assembly” on draft law On Information, Informatisation and Information Protection. The next day searches in journalists’ apartments were carried out in the country.
Apartments of journalists of EuroRadio, Radio Racyja and TV company Belsat were searched. KGB officers burst into apartments and said a criminal case on denigrating of honour and dignity of the Belarusian president had been initiated. The case is in cartoons with Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the main character spread on the Internet.
OSCE representative R. Bless said Criticizing the government is not a crime. The obligation of the government to ensure the freedom of information is the basis of the civil society.”
He noted the government should guarantee free spreading of information. It concerns the Internet, first of all, R. Bless emphasized.
The authorities are likely to have responded to OSCE calls by today’s mopping up operation.
