Freelance journalist fined in Hrodna

A Hrodna freelance journalist Ales Dzyanisau has been returned guilty of violating the Administrative Code according to the article “Arbitrariness”. The court has fined him for 70 thousand rubles (2 base amounts) for an attempt to make a video report about a school. The prosecutors and the judge decided that the journalist deceived the headmaster of school #28 with the help of a BAJ certificate. However, Ales Dzyanisau mentioned in an interview with ERB that the director called the police instead of helping him to make a video report about the school. The journalist is sure that the detention and the fine are two parts of the same organized provocation. It is directed against him and the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

Ales Dzyanisau:  It must be one of the reasons to start a case against the BAJ. They may want to close the BAJ down or to forbid them to give out certificates. They may be forced to change the certificates and to remove the word “Press” from them.

Let us remind you that certificates are also mentioned in the warning pronounced to the Belarusian Association of Journalists by the Ministry of Justice several weeks ago.
The journalist has informed ERB that he he not going to appeal the court’s decision.