Deported From Belarus Ukrainian Journalist: "They Transported Me In A Cell In Police Car"

Police and security services interrogated the journalist.

The journalist of the Public Television of Donbass Vitaly Sizov, whom Minsk policemen detained at night, was ordered to leave Minsk within one day.

Vitaly Sizov told to Radio Svaboda why he must obey the order to leave and how he was treated at the Tsentralny district police department.

"They said that I was on the list of people who was banned to enter Russia, and since youк country and Russia are union states, I cannot stay here as well. I must leave Belarus within 24 hours. Now I'm going to your MFA, because I have to return the accreditation. I will cope with this within the day and will leave.

As for the contacts with the police, I have contradictory impressions. Firstly, why did it happen at 2 am? Couldn't they wait until the morning and then invite and inform?

Secondly, the police officers told me that I wasn't detained, but I consider that to be a detention and not just a simple conversation, because after they have taken me out of the hotel, they put me in a cell in a police car. I even asked them why didn't they let me seat on the seat next to the driver, but they answered that that was prohibited. So, it was a detention.

At the district police department they didn't input my data into a special register of visitors, as it is usually done in Ukraine – there were no records and signatures.

However, they asked me a lot of questions. What are you doing here, why are you not allowed into Russia, have you fought in Ukraine, on which side. It seems they have a standard list of questions. After the conversation they ordered me to wait and I had to stay there until 4 am. Then a man in civilian clothes came, introduced himself, but I did not remember his name, and started asking questions again. He said that Russia had banned me from entering its territory until 2021, so I must leave Belarus within 24 hours, and that wasn't their initiative. They didn't tell the reasons," – Vitaly Sizov said.