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Threatened
June 22
Yury Drakokhrust, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), THREATENED
Galina Drakokhrust, the wife of RFE/RL correspondent Yury Drakokhrust, was attacked in Minsk by unidentified assailants, who issued a threat against Yury during the assault. Three men forced their way into the Drakokhrusts'locked apartment at 2 a.m. and attacked Galina, beating her and warning her to "tell your husband about this." The RFE/RL correspondent was in Poland on a business trip when the break-in occurred. His wife was knocked unconscious by her assailants, and awoke in a bathtub full of hot water. Nothing had been stolen from the apartment. Galina called the police, who took fingerprints, although she had noticed that at least one assailant was wearing gloves. Yury Drakokhrust, who is known by the pseudonym Marat Dymov, regularly reports on Belarusian news and politics for RFE/RL, an international radio station funded by the U.S. Congress. He said he believes the Belarus government sanctioned the attack on his wife in retaliation for his coverage of a recent government crackdown on opposition political parties and media. Specifically, he had reported incidents in which police assaulted journalists attempting to cover demonstrations against the government of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka or to publish independent newspapers, which are either suspended or banned altogether in Belarus.
September 14
Pavel Sheremet, Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, THREATENED
ORT, THREATENED
Sheremet, then editor in chief of the biweekly Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta and a free-lancer for ORT, Russia's public television channel, was warned by Uladzimir Zamyatalin, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's deputy chief, that ORT's Minsk bureau would be closed if Sheremet's material were broadcast. The material was aired anyway. CPJ on Sept. 11 wrote to Lukashenka to express concern about the ongoing government crackdown on the media.
September 19
Svaboda, THREATENED, LEGAL ACTION
The State Committee for the Press, the body which grants Belarusian newspapers their licenses, informed the opposition newspaper Svaboda that it was in violation of the press law and began proceedings against the paper in a Minsk commercial court. The action stemmed from an article that ran under the headline "The Devil's Bible" on Sept. 17. The article, written by Alexander Starikevich, a correspondent for the Russian daily Izvestiya, allegedly libeled the Belarusian head of state and other officials. On Oct. 24, Ihar Hermenchuk, editor of Svaboda, was warned by the deputy public prosecutor that his newspaper might be suspended because of the article. The prosecutor threatened to take action if Svaboda committed similar violations within a year. CPJ appealed to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Nov. 18 to cease any further harassment of the press.
October 30
Brest Kuryer, THREATENED
The prosecutor of the Brest region issued an official warning to the newspaper Brest Kuryer on allegations of unspecified "incitement of social intolerance," a violation of Article 5 of the press law. The alleged violation was in connection with articles that were critical of Belarus' president. The warning noted that if the newspaper continued such violations, authorities would launch proceedings to close it. CPJ appealed to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Nov. 18 to cease any further harassment of the press.
November 13
Pavel Sheremet, ORT, THREATENED
Alexei Stupnikov, NTV, THREATENED
In a speech to the Belarusian Parliament, and again in television appearances Nov. 14 and Nov. 17, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka called for the expulsion of Sheremet, the Minsk correspondent for ORT, Russia's public television channel, and Stupnikov, correspondent for NTV, Russia's independent television station. Lukashenka also threatened to ban Russian broadcasting in Belarusian territory. He claimed that the journalists were not accredited and denounced them as "enemies." Sheremet, who is also deputy editor of a leading independent newspaper, Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta, is a native of Belarus. Stupnikov has permanent resident status in Belarus. Both have publicly displayed their accreditation from the Belarusian Interior Ministry. ORT and NTV ran shots of their press cards on Nov. 14. CPJ appealed to President Lukashenka on Nov. 18 to cease any further harassment of the press.
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