Reporters Without Borders: The authorities must lift prohibition to travel abroad

• 20.03.2012, 15:12

International human rights organization Reporters Without Borders roundly condemns the Belarusian government’s decision to close the country’s borders for journalists.

During the past few days, several Belarusian independent journalists have been unable to travel to neighbouring European Union countries while at least one journalist from an EU country has been prevented from visiting Belarus.

“These illegal restrictions violate the Belarusian constitution and impose grave restrictions on the work of the journalists affected,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The authorities must lift this arbitrary prohibition and allow independent journalists to travel abroad again.”

Four journalists have already been affected by these restrictions. Reporters Without Borders has confirmed that on 13 March the Belarusian consulate in Prague refused to issue a visa to Syarhey Shupa. Andrey Dynko, the editor of the independent Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva, was stopped by border police as he was about to board a train to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Zhanna Litvina, the president of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), and Mikhas Yanchuk, a reporter for the Poland-based independent TV station Belsat, were prevented from boarding a flight to Warsaw from Minsk on 15 March.

Several opposition figures and human rights activists have been prevented from leaving Belarus since 27 February.