Belarusian society in shock. Last week in Minsk made a number of actions to intimidate the independent media. The piquancy of the situation makes the fact that all this happened simultaneously with the appointment of the date of parliamentary elections, before the adoption of the EU decision to extend economic sanctions against Belarus. As the recent history of this country, the next step will be subordinated to Alexander Lukashenko to the Russian request for financial assistance.
Journalist arrested in Grodno - special correspondent of the Polish "Gazeta Wyborcza" Andrei Poczobut. With regard to his criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 367 of the Criminal Code (defamation of the president, the perfect person previously convicted of defamation or insult). He faces a sentence of restriction or deprivation of liberty for up to five years.
The reason for the prosecution began its article on the site "Charter 97" and the "Belarusian partisans."It was said in them about the inconsistencies in the case of an explosion in Minsk subway, on which the spring had been shot by two men.
It should be noted that a year ago Poczobut has been convicted of Part 1 of Art. 367 of the Criminal Code (defamation against the President) for his critical articles against the government. Then he was sentenced to three years imprisonment suspended for two years. However, as we see their work Poczobut did not stop and now he faces is a real term. Moreover, it is worth emphasizing that in the texts of Andrew did not have anything that is not in his other articles critical of the government counterparts working in Belarus.
Almost simultaneously with the arrest of the Belarusians and others sounded alarm bells. Were sentenced to 15 days of journalists "ERB", the authors report about that, it turns out, easily get by with a big bag in the subway route a suspected terrorist can be now. The grounds for the arrest of members of the media? Standard - allegedly using foul language.
Then the special correspondent of the Russian "Novaya Gazeta" wife of former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, Irina Khalip a mailbox planted a severed chicken head, sealed in an envelope. Anyone who thinks that there has been someone's self-indulgence, not a threat, it would not hurt to learn about the conditions in which to work Belarusian journalists who refused to cooperate with local authorities.
I remember as far back as 1995, Alexander Lukashenko, shouting from the parliamentary rostrum: "Journalists foreign radio and television, get ready and leave for Moscow. No one gave you the right to immediately inflame." Back then there were those who had become hysterical "young president" vizvala laughter. "Do not laugh, laugh, and then be too late" - the governor promised. And he has carried out its own specific, these promises.
Contrary to the Constitution, in which there is a ban on state-run media monopoly, financed from the budget (that is, all citizens of the country), TV and radio channels, newspapers, magazines, closed to any criticism of the authorities. As for the non-social - political media, the fingers of one hand too much to list them. In particular because of their closing actively worked Lukashenko subordinate prosecutors.Brutally murdered journalist Veronika Cherkasova, who worked on the topic of Belarus arms deliveries to Iraq under Saddam Hussein. "Disappeared" Zavadsy. Some time before this "disappearance", he and his colleague Pavel Sheremet spent months in jail. According to the official version - for illegally crossing the border, according to unofficial - for a report on its transparency.
Actually, all 18 years of Lukashenka's rule "unfair" (as he puts it), reporters do not have to be bored. But perhaps the most dramatic in their life was December 19, 2010, the day of the next presidential election.Then in an unprecedented mass protests have been broken by unknown number of glasses at Government House, and mass arrests began. It is noteworthy that the lion's share of those arrested then - people who write. Some were more fortunate, some less. Poet and journalist Vladimir Nyaklyaeu, journalist and political analyst Alexander Feduta, a journalist Khalip after several months in prison sentenced to a suspended sentence. Writer and journalist Paul Sevyarynets sent to the "chemistry". The editor of the "Charter 97" Natalia Radina was forced to flee abroad. Here they are - "thugs", it is clear that none of them on video with the memorable massacre there.
And here again, arrests, threats, again featured site "Charter 97" has become largely a professional haven for all of the humanities. Incidentally, the same site, whose previous editor Oleg Bebenin, according to the authorities "got drunk and hung up" on the eve of the presidential campaign, and to persuade friends and colleagues, was hanged. The aim then was achieved - the society for six months has fallen into a stupor from which he deduced only followed the currency crisis. But the indignation of the masses on the street is no longer observed.
The simplest explanation of a new attack on journalists could serve as the proximity of elections, if the full elections in Belarus were. And because their results will not differ from the results of previous similar campaigns, and the Belarusian parliament is not an influential body, that is not so important, that there are broadcasting these "hacks". For the government, of course, it would be good to some miracle they all shut up at once. But they pressed on the eve of the next review of the EU on the introduction of new sanctions against Belarus, it would seem tantamount to how to add fuel to the fire. But ... why not?
Indeed, given the fact that since the introduction of the previous leadership of Belarus sanctions failed to comply with any requirements of the EU (in the country are "political" prisoners, the electoral law is changed, the media and the oppressed, etc.), the probability of the new penalties are enormous. And it's time to look for that to oppose it. Of course, it is possible that the arrest of Andrei Poczobut - simply the result of unmatched zeal top security officials. However, the more likely that the matter is largely in the nationality of the journalist. The fact that he was an ethnic Pole, deputy chairman of the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus. And this, presumably, will not disregard the Polish leadership, which has considerable influence in the EU.
Thus, the constant "a journalist imprisoned in Belarus" propaganda is easy to change the "war Poland and Belarus." Have remembered about historical grievances, clashes between Russians and Poles at Euro 2012?
Source: http://www.rosbalt.ru/exussr/2012/06/25/996397.html
