Police “congratulate” journalist Larysa Shchyrakova on March 8
Larysa Shchyrakova
Homel journalist Larysa Shchyrakova received unusual “congratulations” on March 8 – that day the police drew up an administrative report under Article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses on her. The report was compiled by the head of the division of law enforcement of the Tsentralny District Police Department of Homel, Yury Panin.
On March 7 the head of the division called the journalist and invited her to a questioning. He offered to do it on March 8. Larysa Shchyrakova came to the district police department in the morning. “At first Yury Panin told me that the DPD had received papares on the results of an inspection on a materials broadcast by the TV channel “BelSat” back in January. The police discovered that the TV report was authored by me. The video was dedicated to the increas of the tax for individual entrepreneurs, and I questioned the marked vendors at the Tsentalny market to this innovation,” said the journalist.
The materials of the inspection contain the protocols of questioning of three entrepreneurs who confirmed having been questioned and shot on video by Larysa Shchyrakova. One of the questioned entrepreneurs wrote in the police report in her own hand that she “hasn't done any harm to anyone” (meaning herself).
The journalist used her right not to testify against himself. Nevertheless, a violation report was drawn up, and she will be judged.
"The country is now in a difficult economic situation, the presidential elections are coming up... When hard times come for the authorities, a journalist becomes enemy number one, because he shows the reality as it is,” commented Larysa Shchyrakova.
Let us remind that in January 2015 the journalist was judged in Svetlahorsk for allegedly participating in an unsanctioned picket and was punished by a fine of 900,000 rubles, together with her colleague Kanstantsin Zhukouski. The picket was held by a civil society activist, first group disabled Yury Liashenka. The police charged the journalists with taking part in the picket.
