Biaroza journalist: Authorities smooth out media before elections

Freelance journalist Tamara Shchapetkina was summoned to police to get acquainted with the protocol for work with foreign mass media without accreditation.

On February 27 Leninski District Court of Brest will try the journalist's administrative case.

Radio Svaboda talked with Tamara Shchapetkina about facts of the case.

-Tell us how you have been summoned to police and what you are accused of.

- February 20, local police officer Siarhei Nestsiarovich called me and invited to the police office "to answer a lot of question". Allegedly he got the protocol from Brest concerning my work with Radio Racyja. I required a subpoena. I have been summoned today. Today I have visited the police office. There I used my legal right not to testify against myself. I have the protocol from Brest which says that on January 8 at 9 am in Krasnogvardeiskaya Street in Brest I allegedly came to Nialipovich, the captain of the police, and had an interview with him, then publised it on Radio Racyja website.

That is, I'm accused of work without accreditation.

But the most offensive is that on January 8 I was not interviewing Nialipovich. It never happened.

–Were you already tried on a similar case in December? Then you were fined Br4.5 million.

- Yes, now they try to pin on another case. They try to make me silence, to smooth out media before elections. And it is absolutely clear that these two cases are of one origin. After all, it is the one scenario practiced before every elections. In 2009 I got warning of Biaroza Prosecutor's Office, in 2014 the situation comes up again...

Now I'm ready to appeal the December fine. The Regional Court has already upheld the fine Br4.5 million.

-How long have you been working as journalist?

- I have qualification in Russian language and literature. I worked in Belaazersk school No. 3 for 30 years. And for the last 12 years I've been working as journalist. But for these 12 years I have experienced much more than during 30 years at school. I was tried while working in the private Gazeta dlia Vas (Your Newspaper), where I raised serious questions about corruption. Those were the topics of criminal cases against the Deputy Chairman of the Executive District Committee And the case against the Prosecutor's assistant... Then I was tried very often.

Now they oppress me allegedly for cooperation with Radio Racyja.

Now we are made to stay in a kitchen like it was practiced in the Soviet period.