Pyakarski: Militiaman has the right to express his displeasure when being taken photo

• 2.03.2010, 13:55

The deputy minister of internal affairs gave a press conference in Minsk, where he estimated actions of the riot militia at opposition actions.

Riot militiamen in mufti don’t introduce themselves and use force to hinder photo correspondents and camera operators to perform their professional duties during peaceful demonstrations.

“Demonstrations are not authorized sometimes. We need to give a sober estimation of the situation. A militiaman has the right to express is displeasure when being taken photo. These pictures often go to west. Militia looks unattractive in these pictures. We need to work out the rules that would satisfy everyone,” the newspaper “Nasha Niva” quotes Aleh Pyakarski.

Press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Svyatlana Barouskaya added that presence special press-officers at demonstrations wasn’t discussed.

We remind that riot militia has been blocking the work of journalists for the last six months. Every journalist is accompanied by 2 or 3 people, who push him away from the site of a demonstration and damage equipment.

Deputy minister of internal affairs of Belarus Yauhen Paludzen said earlier the Belarusian militia used the experience of its German colleagues when working out a complex of measures to work with journalists. “If police beat people at demonstrations, the duty of a journalist is to record this,” the press service of the German Journalists Association said in response to the Belarusian deputy minister.