Ales Lipaj: Detained journalist were not violating laws

All the personnel of BelaPAN’s filming crew, who were detained today, had accreditations and professional certificates with them.

“The detention of the journalists was caused by the fact that one of the passersby considered the topic of the video questionnaire seditious and called the police”, - the director of BelaPAN news agency Ales Lipaj believes.

He gave a commentary to charter97.org.

“On the editorial office’s task the personnel of the information agency suggested passersby to answer the question: “Whom are you ready to finance – the authorities or the opposition?”.  When answering the respondents were suggested to put a symbolic amount of money in the boxes with writings “Opposition” and “Authorities” on them”, - the BelaPAN’s director said.

He also emphasized that the journalist acted in accordance to the law.

“All the members of the filming crew had professional certificates with them and they all had accreditations. They did not violate the law. In their turn, having detained the journalists, the policemen violated the law “On media in the Republic of Belarus”, - Ales Lipaj concluded.

We would remind that BelaPAN’s reporter Hanna Afonina and cameramen Siarhei Saciuk and Vasil Siamashka were detained today when taking a weekly street video questionnaire.