(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is concerned about the recent interrogation of Oleg Gruzdilovich, a reporter for the Minsk-based independent newspaper “Naviny” and Radio Liberty. On the morning of 7 April 1999, Gruzdilovich was picked up by agents of the Committee for State Security (KGB) near the entrance to his house and taken to KGB headquarters for […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is concerned about the recent
interrogation of Oleg Gruzdilovich, a reporter for the Minsk-based
independent newspaper “Naviny” and Radio Liberty.
On the morning of 7 April 1999, Gruzdilovich was
picked up by agents of the
Committee for State Security (KGB) near the entrance
to his house and taken
to KGB headquarters for questioning. In the view of
CPJ, the interrogation
was an effort to harass and intimidate him in
reprisal for his journalistic
work. On 19 March, “Naviny” published an article,
written by Gruzdilovich,
entitled “A plan to ensure measures for disrupting
the presidential
elections,” which discussed the supposed existence
of an internal KGB
document outlining measures to suppress the
opposition. Although KGB
officials have not confirmed the existence of such a
document, several other
newspapers ran similar stories.
During the questioning, Gruzdilovich asked that his
lawyer be present, a
right guaranteed by Article 62 of the Belarusian
Constitution. Gennady
Gnadko, senior investigator for the KGB, refused his
request. Consequently,
Gruzdilovich refused to answer any questions. He
also declined to sign a
pledge not to disclose the content of the
interrogation. He was released
after about four hours.
CPJ has long been disturbed by the systematic
crackdown against independent
journalists and newspapers by President Lukashenko’s
administration, leading
CPJ to place him at the top of their annual Enemies
of the Press list
several years in a row.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the President:
journalists is a serious attack
on press freedom, which constitutes a violation of
international law
Declaration of Human Rights
provides the right “to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas
through any media and
regardless of frontiers.”
climate in his country and
to ensure that the rights of independent journalists
are guaranteed
Appeals To
His Excellency Alexander Lukashenko
President of the Republic of Belarus
Minsk 220020
Fax: +375 172 23 58 25
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
