Belarusian MFA deprived Gazeta Wyborcza correspondent Andrzej Poczobut of accreditation

• 5.03.2009, 9:11

Ahead of a session of unrecognized by the Belarusian authorities Union of Poles of Belarus, the Ministry of Foreign Affaires of Belarus deprived a member of the organization, correspondent of Gazeta Wyborcza Andrsej Poczobut, of accreditation.

An official ground for depriving of accreditation, according to representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, was four articles by Andrzej Poczobut published in Gazeta Wyborcza, Radio Racyja reports.

The articles were about enforced fingerprinting of males of Belarus, deportation of Polish priests, and Lukashenka’s dialogue with the West. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, “the articles are biased and insult the head of state”. Andrzej Poczobut connects the deprival of accreditation with the situation in the country and the recent events with the unrecognized by the authorities the Union of Poles of Belarus under leadership of Anzhalika Borys.

Editor’s staff of Gazeta Wyborcza spread a statement in defence of Andrzej Poczobut and calls on European politicians, negotiating with Belarus, not to forget about the freedom of speech, one of the main democratic values.

The number of provocations against the disgraced Union of Poles of Belarus has increased lately. On March 3, edited obscene appeared in mail boxes of the house, where the head of the organization lives. Pictures, edited in Photoshop, depicted Anzhalika Borys.

As Andrzej Poczobut told the Charter’97 press center, this humiliating provocation was made to smear the image of the leader of the organisation.