Belarusian customs officers seize laptop from Danish journalist
On 12 May customs officers at Minsk-2 airport carried
out a 4-hour examination of a Danish journalist Jens Nilsen.
Materials for an article about trade unions in Belarus, electronic data
carriers, a notebook were seized from him, as well as a book by Roi Miadzvedzeu
“Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Outline of Belarusian model”.
Praca-by.info has been informed about that by an independent trade union of the
Radio and Electronic industry.
Jens Nilsen stayed in Belarus for
several days. The Danish journalist came to Belarus to get acquainted with the
activities of Belarusian trade Unions in detail, and to tell about them in
Danish trade union newspapers then.
“We closely cooperate with trade unions of different countries, including
Denmark,” told the chairman of the Trade union of radio and electronic industry
Henadz Fiadynich. “But not much is known about us in Denmark, and in most other
countries. Jens met with trade union activists, workers whose rights had been
violated. He was also interested in the activities of the Trade Unions’
Federation of Belarus, in order to convey unbiased information on the situation
in Belarus. The journalist was not explained on what grounds his personal
things had been seized from him.”
“Jens Nilsen speaks Russian well. He had been working as a correspondent of a
Danish newspaper in Russia. The journalist asked customs agents what claims
they had. And they said in response, that they had no claims against him,”
Henadz Fiadynich said.
While he was examined by customs officers, the plane took off. Though the
authorities were to organize a departure from Belarus for a foreign citizen, as
he was late for the plane due to their fault, and no formal charges against him
were filed, we had to give him a lift from the airport ourselves, and take him
to the railway station urgently, to be on time for him to take a train to
Vilnius. His visa expired on 12 May and he could become a violator of visa
regime.”
Henadz Fiadynich noted that such accidents are becoming regular of late.
“Recently our colleagues from Denmark were not given visas. They had to sit in
the airport for the whole day and then fly back to Copenhagen. For the same
reason Swedish trade union trainers could not held a seminar. It looks as if
the authorities are carefully spying on everyone who had contacts with
representatives of independent trade unions, and organize such “cordial parting
or welcoming ceremonies” for them.”
According to the chairman of the REI trade union, such actions of
representatives of the state authorities do not add to a positive image of the
country.
“Jens is a journalist. He will certainly write about his negative experience of
visiting Belarus. And who will have a desire to come here? Even for an
excursion,” Henadz Fiadynich summed up with regret.