Journalist carrying election observation bulletins not admitted to Belarus
Journalist Anna Azemsha was sent back at Belarus’ border with Lithuania because there were election observation bulletins in the car.
At the Kamienny Loh border crossing point Anna Azemsha was made leave the territory of Belarus and leave abroad 130 units of the information bulletin ‘Eight curious facts about elections’ and 65 units of the bulletin ‘Observer reports’.
The Novy Chas journalist, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported of that to the association’s press-service.
On 20 April the journalist was coming back to Belarus from Lithuania by car and at 14.00 arrived to Belarusian border. In the green channel the customs officer noticed a Georgian flag in the car, which Anna had been carrying around for a long time. This was the reason for a closer inspection. The car was ordered to be put in the red channel and got inspected for several hours.
During the inspection they found the information bulletins of the Election Observation: Theory and Practice bulletins – ‘Eight curious facts about elections’ and ‘Observer reports’. In the end they took nothing, but ordered to leave the territory of Belarus and throw away or pass to someone all the found bulletins. Only having done that Anna could enter the country. The journalist is going to appeal against the actions of the Customs Service.
