Equipment of Australian journalist was confiscated

Amos Roberts, Australian SBS TV journalist was searched at the customs of Minsk-2 airport.

He had worked for a week and was going to leave the country, but unexpectedly the customs officers decided to confiscate his equipment.

The customs officers took away all notes and equipment and did not provide any procedural document. Among the confiscated things are HD video camera Panasonic HPX-170, HD video camera Go-Pro Hero, a photo camera Canon G12, a laptop Macbook, an Apple DVD-drive, digital information carriers, an iPhone, several documents from the archive of SBS and a teddy bear with a parachute.

Amos Roberts briefly commented the situation: “I am furious that after I was accredited in the Belarusian Foreign Affairs Ministry, all results of my work and all my personal belongings were stolen with no legal grounds. He is planning to leave Belarus on September 22. “Reporters without borders” have condemned the authorities’ actions, demanding to give the equipment back to the journalist.