Policemen seized journalists after an interview with oppositional politician
- 14.01.2008, 10:52
After an interview with the member of the United Civil Party, an economist Pavel Danejka journalists Uladzimir and Halina Samojlava and a cameraman Valery Buldyk. After the arrest and search policemen confiscated their equipment.
A group of journalists was recording an interview with Pavel Danejka on January 12. The meeting was held in Minsk in his apartment. The text variant of the conversation was to be published in the weekly “Tax courier of entrepreneur”. A video reel was to be offered to one of TV companies, Camarade online reports.
The topic of the interview is of current concern. The unsanctioned meeting held by more than 3,000 entrepreneurs on October Square on January 10 demonstrated that market reforms in the country are going on with difficulty. Pavel Danejka is one of the best experts in the problem of transforming planned economy into market economy.
After leaving the house after the interview, journalists didn’t manage to call a taxi as almost immediately two persons in mufti accompanied a police captain approached them.
- Your passport?
- Here, please. What’s the matter?
- We have received information that a theft has taken place in this house. Whose equipment is this?
- It’s mine, I’m a professional cameraman and make items for different TV companies, - Halina Samojlava said.
- Do you have documents that you own it?
- Certainly, but I do not take them with me. There’s no use. Besides, Pavel Dajneka can prove who we are and that we visited him. We entered the door and left through the door!
Pavel Dajneka was invited over the mobile phone. He confirmed that a theft is out of question. It was an arranged meeting, and he knows journalists well. However law-enforcers haven’t been impressed by that at all. The journalists were taken to a police department of Tsentralny district. Their personal things were searched there.
Interrogation lasted for about 3 hours. As a result, all equipment, video cassettes, a photo camera were seized. To the question whether they will be returned, there wasn’t a clear answer: “It will be returned in case you prove it belongs to you, and you carried out recording legally”.
By the way, people in mufti were most interested by the question whether people were shooting an item for the independent Belarusian TV company Belsat.