Valer Karbalevich: Authorities Got Fright That They Lost Control Of Media Scene

The blocking of Charter-97 was their first panic reaction.

Political analyst Valer Karbalevich commented on searches in the tut.by and BelaPAN editorial offices and the subsequent arrests of journalists.

"In my opinion, regardless of real formal grounds, the current actions of law enforcement agencies is gesture politics, – Valer Karbalaevich writes in his own column on Radio Svaboda. – Since the beginning of the year, the authorities have made no bones about their concern over the fact that they lost control over the Belarusian information space. Therefore, they have been taking feverish measures to change this unpleasant situation. Last winter, Lukashenka changed three editors of the main state media. Then Charter was blocked. A new, more stringent law on the media was adopted. The persecution of the director general of the BelaPAN news agency, Ales Lipai, was started. Prosecutor General of Belarus Aliaksandr Kaniuk announced the introduction of responsibility for false information on the Internet.

And here is a new decisive repressive step against the main independent information resources. Therefore, they do not care much about the negative reaction of the society. On the contrary, let the people be afraid. It is necessary that not only independent media, but also commentators in social networks calm down a little, keep a low-profile, activate their self-censorship.

And this is the trend of today, when an alleged economic crime becomes the basis for the prosecution. Hennadz Fiadynich and Ihar Komlik are also tried not for their trade union activities, but for alleged non-payment of taxes. God forbid, no politics, only economic crimes. I wonder, how many people believe this?"