29 March 2024, Friday, 8:32
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Federation of Journalists’ President Made Stand For Belarusian Freelancers

Federation of Journalists’ President Made Stand For Belarusian Freelancers

Mogens Blicher Bjerregård offered to make amendments to the law, which would formalize the legal status of freelance journalists.

It is said in his official letter to Aliaksandr Lukashenka on November 26, the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) informs.

“… To our mind, applying this article of the Administrative Code to Journalists (Article 22.9 Part 2) resulted in violation of the constitutional right of citizens for receiving, storage and distribution of information, and negatively influenced the international image of Belarus, – Mogens Blicher Bjerregård wrote. – Earlier journalistic organisations, in particular, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, tried to solve this problem, addressing public authorities, involved in bringing to responsibility freelance journalists. In particular, addresses to the Supreme Court of Belarus, the Interior Affairs Ministry of Belarus, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Belarus have been sent. However the abovementioned bodies have not taken due steps to solve the situation.

We have learnt with deep satisfaction that after you expressed your opinion on this problem, bringing freelance journalists to responsibility stopped. We express the hope that the governing bodies of Belarus will continue adhering to this progressive tendency. In order to prevent such problems in the future we find it possible to offer making to the law the amendments, which would formalize the legal status of freelance journalists.”

We remind on August 4 Lukashenka promised to deal with the problem of freelance journalists. This year taken alone, 26 trials over freelance journalists have taken place. The sum of fines for journalist activities without accreditation amounted to more than Br147 million.

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