Dictatorship is dictatorship

Joanna Kurosz, a representative of “Civil Rights Defenders” organisation, who wanted to learn about the situation with freedom of speech in Belarus, has been denied entry visa.

“One of the representatives of our mission has been denied Belarusian visa. It is a fact which should be considered”. This was the phrase which started a meeting of the international journalists’ mission with editors of independent Belarusian mass media, the Belarusian Association of Journalists’ press-service reports.

On the first day of their arrival to Belarus, September 21, participants of the delegation didn’t speak about that, as they hoped Joanna Kurosz would ultimately receive entry visa. As on September 23 the visit of the mission ends, there are no such hopes any more, representatives of the delegation say.

The mission was formed under the aegis of the World Federation of Journalists. It includes organisations engaged in defence of journalists’ rights, issues of will expression and mass media development.

The mission visits Belarus on September 21-23. The objective of the visit of the international experts is studying the situation with freedom of press in Belarus and evaluation of the recent changes in this sector.

Today mission representatives have met with independent media, deputy head of the President’s Administration Natallya Pyatkevich and management of the National State TV Company headed by Alyaksandr Zimouski.

A briefing with preliminary results of the visit will take place in Minsk international educational centre on September 23.