Prosecutor Office issued warning to Belsat journalist for a report about heat

Tatsyana Bublikava received an official warning for her journalistic activities without accreditation from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Supervision agencies considered legality of her work in connection with an application from an agronomist of Uritskaye agricultural production co-operative, “Salidarnasts” reports.

Earlier agronomist Viktar Lebyashkou filed an application to the Prosecutor’s office of Homel region, in which he informed that in the end of July after making an appointment a journalist Tatsyana Bublikava and a cameraman. The girl asked the expert about how the heat affects the crops. The agronomist did not ask the filming crew to show their documents, he gave an interview and later found out that the interview was broadcast on air of Polish satellite TV Channel Belsat. The man decided that his rights had been violated, and asked the prosecutor to check “legality of journalistic activities” of Bublikava.

Last week the Homel dweller who had been summoned to the supervision agencies by a writ, explained to the prosecutor that since 2010 she contributes to Warsaw private enterprise N.E.W.S. Informacije. This firm does not have functions of mass media editorial office. She performs orders for supplying video materials.

Last year Tatsyana Bublikava was given a warning from the prosecutor’s office, with the words: ”for activities on behalf of Belsat TV channel”.

- I believe it is one of the forms of a well-aimed wide-scale state campaign of pressure on independent press, -- said the lawyer of the public association Belarusian Association of Journalists, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus Mikhail Pastukhou then. – We see more than ten warnings of the prosecutor’s office which are issued unjustly in some cases. Every bit of leverage is sued to exert psychological pressure, to intimidate journalists and editors of small newspapers.