Belarus Press Photo extremism case trial will be secretive

Extremism was even found in the chapters Sports and Nature in the Belarus Press Photo albums.

A press photographer Julia Darashkievich published on her Facebook account the whole expertise of the album Belarus Press Photo, made by ideologists and professors on the order of KGB.

We would remind that KGB found extremism in the photo competition’s albums. It is curious that extremism was even found in the chapters Sports and Nature.

The trial on this case will be secretive for the purpose of “preventing the disclosure of the information on the content of the information products before the court’s decision on the case”.

The expert commission, which worked from 27 February until 18 March 2013 and included Skrabko, Khiluta, Shulha and Bondar made an expertise of the printed edition, containing text and photo materials with the purpose of finding signs of calls for extremist activities or propagandizing such activities. The experts found in the albums “deliberately perverted, not corresponding to the reality insinuations on the life activities of the Republic of Belarus, humiliating the national honor and dignity of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus”.

41 photo albums with the photos from last year’s competition BELARUS PRESS PHOTO were confiscated from Belarusian photographers Aliaksandr Vasiukovich and Julia Darachkievich on 12 November 2012 at the border crossing point Kamenny Loh.

Belarus Press Photo is the first open and independent competition of press photography in Belarus. This year the competition is being held for the fourth time. The very extremist photos of the 2011 competition winners’ may be found here.