General Procuracy finished check-up on appeal of European Radio journalists

Nasta Mantsevich, Pavel Sviardlou and Andrei Yeliseyeu, journalists for the European Radio for Belarus which has an official accreditation in Belarus, suffered from unlawful actions of people in mufti during the silent protest actions that were held in Minsk in June-July. Pavel Sviardlou was detained twice.

The journalists applied to the Gneral Procuracy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the unlawful detentions. At the end of July, in about a week after lodging the complaints, the journalists were summonsed to the procuracy.

Officers of the procuracy treated the journalists neutrally and it was difficult to understand their attitude to the unlawful actions of the “men in mufti”. However, they refused to attach to the case the photo and video materials that were brought by the journalists.

As it became known on 3 August, the procuracy finished its check-up on the journalists' appeal. According to Pavel Radzivonau, head of the department for legislation observation supervision of the General Procuracy, the check-up has revealed violations and the Minister of Internal Affairs has been obliged to subject the policemen “who committed procedural violations” to disciplinary responsibility.