(CPJ/IFEX) – On 22 April 1998, CPJ issued a protest against the decision of the Grodno District Court to deny the appeal of Pavel Sheremet and Dmitry Zavadsky, a correspondent and cameraman, respectively, of Russia’s ORT television network. They had been convicted of illegally crossing the Belarussian border. **Updates IFEX alerts of 26 February 1998, […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 22 April 1998, CPJ issued a protest against the decision of
the Grodno District Court to deny the appeal of Pavel Sheremet and Dmitry
Zavadsky, a correspondent and cameraman, respectively, of Russia’s ORT
television network. They had been convicted of illegally crossing the
Belarussian border.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 26 February 1998, 15 December, 10 October, 9
September, 6 August, 31 and 28 July 1997**
Sheremet and Zavadsky were found guilty on 28 January 1998, by a court in
the border town of Oshmiani, of illegally crossing an unguarded section of
the Belarus border with Lithuania (in contravention of Article 80 of the
Penal Code of Belarus), as they were filming a documentary on border
security. The Oshmiani Court also convicted them of exceeding their
professional rights as journalists (Article 167), and of participating in a
deliberately staged conspiracy (Article 17). Sheremet was given a two-year
suspended sentence and Zavadsky received an 18-month suspended sentence. The
effect of the Grodno District Court’s decision on the appeal was to affirm
these sentences. As a result, the Supreme Court has the power to imprison
Sheremet and Zavadsky should they violate their conditional sentences.
Sheremet is currently formally employed by the ORT Russian Television
network, but he cannot work as a journalist, and instead is confined to
performing only administrative tasks. Both Sheremet and Zavadsky were
stripped of their accreditation in July and August 1997 respectively, in
accordance with a 12 July 1997 regulation, by which the Belarus Cabinet
decides whether to grant accreditation to foreign media outlets and
journalists in the Republic of Belarus.
CPJ is greatly troubled by what the organization sees as an attempt to curb
critical coverage of recent developments in Belarus and by the ominous
repercussions of such censorship regulations on the case of Sheremet and
Zavadsky. CPJ condemns the action of Grodno District Court in declining the
appeal, believing the decision was a politically motivated act, meant to
intimidate and silence the two journalists because of their critical
coverage of Belarus.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
of Sheremet’s case and to overturn the decision of the Grodno District Court
and
their right to freely and safely practice their profession
Appeals To
His Excellency Alexander Lukashenko
President of the Republic of Belarus
Fax: +375 172 23 58 25Ivan Ivanovich Antonovich
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fax: + 375 172 27 45 21Valentin Olegovich Sukalo
Chairman of the Supreme Court
Fax: +375 172 27 12 25
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
