D.Smirnov: 20,000 read my words before arrest and the whole world afterwards
The case of the Latvian economist who advised to exchange Lats and withdraw money from banks has ended up in a deadlock. Economist and journalist Dmitry Smirnov was arrested for his views on November 21 and held for 48 hours. He was later released after having been charged with the undermining of Latvia's financial system.
Dmitry Smirnov tells the European Radio for Belarus about his case and two days in detention.
Dmitry Smirnov: I don't have any information. I can only say that the criminal case is still pending, because investigation is still under way. I remain under the written undertaking not to leave the country.
Dmitry Smirnov faces up to five years in prison for his advices. However, his case has grabbed world's attention after the arrest. Belarus has become the 18th country whose journalists approached Dmitry for an interview.
Dmitry Smirnov:Definitely, my detention grabbed huge attention. In Latvia, in the neighboring countries and in the Western Europe, journalists say they can't understand how this could happen in a democratic country.
As for the charges of undermining the country's financial system, Dmitry reckons that it possibly makes sense to cover up negative trends in a totalitarian country, but it should never be this way in a market economy.
Dmitry Smirnov: In a market economy, all these bans play a negative role only. Here is the example. I said these words -- that it was not worth saving in Lats and depositing the money in banks -- in an interview with a small regional newsapaper. Initially, this interview was read by only ten-twenty thousand people. After I was arrested, these words were quoted by major Latvian newspapers and publications around the world, even The Wall Street Journal. You see what has happened. Instead of trying to stabilize the system, the problem was blown to the international level. In a market economy, any bans are proof of government's helplessness. They prove that neither the government nor the Central Bank has any idea what the mechanisms of market economy are about.
On the New Year's eve, the National Bank of Belarus also tried to avoid panic using similar methods. The Belarusian bankers proposed to apply Article 250 in the Penal Code "Dissemination of false information about goods and services" against pessimists. However, we have not heard yet about any criminal cases associated with the financial crisis.
Dmitry Smirnov tells the European Radio for Belarus about his case and two days in detention.
Dmitry Smirnov: I don't have any information. I can only say that the criminal case is still pending, because investigation is still under way. I remain under the written undertaking not to leave the country.
Dmitry Smirnov faces up to five years in prison for his advices. However, his case has grabbed world's attention after the arrest. Belarus has become the 18th country whose journalists approached Dmitry for an interview.
Dmitry Smirnov:Definitely, my detention grabbed huge attention. In Latvia, in the neighboring countries and in the Western Europe, journalists say they can't understand how this could happen in a democratic country.
As for the charges of undermining the country's financial system, Dmitry reckons that it possibly makes sense to cover up negative trends in a totalitarian country, but it should never be this way in a market economy.
Dmitry Smirnov: In a market economy, all these bans play a negative role only. Here is the example. I said these words -- that it was not worth saving in Lats and depositing the money in banks -- in an interview with a small regional newsapaper. Initially, this interview was read by only ten-twenty thousand people. After I was arrested, these words were quoted by major Latvian newspapers and publications around the world, even The Wall Street Journal. You see what has happened. Instead of trying to stabilize the system, the problem was blown to the international level. In a market economy, any bans are proof of government's helplessness. They prove that neither the government nor the Central Bank has any idea what the mechanisms of market economy are about.
On the New Year's eve, the National Bank of Belarus also tried to avoid panic using similar methods. The Belarusian bankers proposed to apply Article 250 in the Penal Code "Dissemination of false information about goods and services" against pessimists. However, we have not heard yet about any criminal cases associated with the financial crisis.
