Journalist Dzmitry Lupach Fined For News Piece About Poorest District

He was tried for the “illegal making and distribution of media products.”

The Sharkaushchyna district court fined independent journalist from Hlybokaye Dzmitry Lupach for 35 base fees. On April 15, he was again tried under Part 2 of Article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (illegal making and distribution of media products). As Radio Racyja reports, the case was handled by judge Aksana Tabola, who had previously tried an independent journalist.

The reason for bringing to administrative responsibility this time was the story entitled “How the poorest district of the country lives today,” shown on Belsat TV channel.

According to Dzmitry Lupach, he understands that, before certain political events, pressure is increasing on independent journalists, politicians and human rights activists. Therefore, he believes that the pressure will increase even more, since we all know what kind of an “office” initiates all this.

- Even the performers do not hide who is the initiator of these cases. Of course, as they call it, “our office”, got used to doing all the nasty things with someone else's hands. They themselves remain clean. Nevertheless, this initiative certainly comes from them. At the trial they used the wording that I shot the plot with the aim to make a negative impression on the audience, but it’s not me who works for a negative impression. It is they who work for it themselves.

According to Dzmitry Lupach, he did not set any such goals. He just came to Sharkaushchyna to perform his professional duties.

The total amount of fines imposed on Lupach this year alone is 110 base fees, or BYN 2,805.