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Attacked
April 26
Eduard Terlitsky, Radio Liberty, ATTACKED
Elena Lukashevich, Imya, ATTACKED
Leonid Sveridov, Russian State Television (RTR), ATTACKED
Oleg Trizno, Free-lancer, IMPRISONED
Vladzimir Dzyuba, Belarus Radio, IMPRISONED
Oleg Bebenin, Imya, ATTACKED
Oles Mikolaichenko, Nasha Slova, ATTACKED
Tsesary Golinsky, Gazeta Wyborcha, ATTACKED
Police who were dispersing participants in an unauthorized protest march marking the 10th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant beat and detained several journalists. Terlitsky, a reporter for Radio Liberty in Minsk, was clubbed by a policeman and received head injuries that required several stitches. Lukashevich and Bebenin, reporters for the Belarusian independent newspaper Imya; Sveridov, a reporter for Russian state television (RTR); Mikolaichenko, a reporter for the Belarussian independent newspaper Nasha Slova; and Golinsky, a reporter for the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcha, were all also beaten by police. The free-lance journalist Trizno, who contributes to several banned Belarusian opposition papers, was arrested and sentenced to five days in jail on charges of "insulting a policeman." He was released on May 2. His wife was also required to pay 75,000 rubles (US$6) to cover the cost of his stay in jail. Belarus Radio correspondent Dzyuba was arrested and sentenced to 10 days in jail on administrative charges of "disturbing the peace." According to his colleagues, Dzyuba is conducting a hunger strike to protest his detention. In a letter to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, CPJ protested the policemen's treatment of journalists and urged Lukashenka to order the immediate release of Trizno and Dzyuba.
May 3
Alexander Kushner, Free-lance photographer, HARASSED
Alexander Stupnikov and crew, NTV, ATTACKED, CENSORED
Leonid Sveridov, Russian State Television (RTR), HARASSED
Government security agents harassed and attacked several journalists who were covering May Day rallies in Minsk attended by opposition leaders and Communist and trade union activists. Members of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's security detail stopped Kushner, a free-lance photographer, as he was attempting to photograph them and exposed his film. Stupnikov, a correspondent for the independent news television station NTV, was stopped by plainclothes agents who refused to present identification. The men attacked Stupnikov's crew, beating one cameraman until a crowd began to gather. As a result, NTV was unable to file a story about the rally. As he was driving home from the event, Sveridov, an RTR correspondent, was followed by several men driving in a car with tinted windows. The driver of the car cut him off and forced him to stop. The men got out and showed Sveridov their identification so quickly that he was unable to read it. They threatened to smash his windows unless he got out of his car. He refused to cooperate, and eventually they drove away. Shortly thereafter, Sveridov interviewed the deputy head of President Lukashenka's administration, Uladimir Zamyatalin, who told him that Russian television companies were filing "inflammatory reports" and that "the most serious measures would be taken."
For more information contact europeweb@cpj.org