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Undesirable Reports: Belarusian President Lukashenko also cracks down on journalists. Among other things, the ARD. Foreign Minister Maas condemned the procedure as “arbitrary”.
After international journalists were arrested in Belarus and expelled from the country, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas condemned the procedure as “arbitrary”. This was “not acceptable at all,” said the SPD politician. “This attack on press freedom is another dangerous step towards greater repression instead of dialogue with the population.” Independent information must be comprehensively guaranteed. “Belarus has also committed to this internationally.” From diplomatic circles it was said that the Belarusian ambassador in Berlin would be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a timely manner.
Belarus’ authoritarian government has been cracking down on journalists for days. Representatives of various media, including the ARD – Report on the withdrawal of their accreditations. Some representatives of the foreign press have already been expelled from the country.
ARD-Team detained
A three-person camera crew from ARD he was arrested on Friday night and held overnight at a Minsk police station. They are accused of having shot illegally, despite their accreditation. “There were no explanations of why or why. No document was presented to us. There were no complaints,” he said. Michail Falin, ARD Employee. The two Russian cameramen were expelled from the country. They were banned from entering the country for five years. The Belarusian producer is threatened with a trial.
Correspondents for the news agencies AFP and Reuters, the British BBC and the US broadcaster Radio Liberty were also affected by the withdrawal of their accreditation. The Belarusian Association of Journalists spoke of a massive withdrawal of accreditations of representatives of the Belarusian media who worked for foreign radio or television stations, newspapers and news agencies.
Police control during live change
Government critic Svetlana Tichanovskaya criticized the cancellation of accreditations as an attempt to scare and intimidate society.
Earlier in the week, President Alexander Lukashenko declared that he would take strong measures to ensure peace and order on the streets. The number of arrests, even among representatives of the media, has skyrocketed in recent days. Today the Radio Svoboda reporter was beaten and his work permit was verified directly during a live broadcast.
Despite tough government action, many Belarusians continue to take to the streets. Thousands of women marched on foot through the capital Minsk on Saturday, as can be seen in pictures on social media. Police and special police units stopped in the city center to obstruct the protest march towards the Plaza de la Independencia. They passed the numerous prisoner transporters and chanted “Out with Lukashenko in the prisoner transporter.” A large-scale anti-government rally is scheduled in Minsk on Sunday.
With information from Christina Nagel, ARD Studio Moscow
