(RSF/IFEX) – On 2 February 2004, journalist and human rights activist Natalya Kaliada was fined 160 euros (approx. US$200) for publishing articles on a website run by Charter 97, a human rights organisation that is not recognised by the authorities. The verdict follows an investigation by the attorney general into the legality of news produced […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 2 February 2004, journalist and human rights activist Natalya Kaliada was fined 160 euros (approx. US$200) for publishing articles on a website run by Charter 97, a human rights organisation that is not recognised by the authorities.
The verdict follows an investigation by the attorney general into the legality of news produced by the organisation. Deputy Attorney General Paval Radzivonaw concluded that Charter 97’s activities were illegal. Radzivonaw has been the target of constant criticism from the organisation, which has accused him of being one of the principal architects of the crackdown on local media.
RSF protested the sentence in a letter to Belarusian Justice Minister Viktor Golovanov. “All Kaliada did is speak out against repeated human rights violations in Belarus,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said. “By sentencing her for writing articles on the Internet, Judge Natalya Vojsechovich is sending a disturbing message to human rights defenders and journalists. In a country where the independent press is subjected to constant harassment by the authorities, the Internet provides Belarusians with access to uncensored news and information. We therefore strongly condemn this attempt to gag press freedom on the Internet,” the organisation added.
RSF also noted that in 2003, the independent press and human rights organisations suffered unprecedented judicial harassment. At least 15 newspapers were closed or prevented from publishing and a number of organisations were also shut down.
