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If policemen fail to observe Media Law, “issue of imposing disciplinary penalty on them will be raised”

 

If police officers fail to observe the Media Law, “the issue of imposing a disciplinary penalty on them will be raised,” Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich said Wednesday at a news conference in Minsk.

Mr. Vasilevich was answering a BelaPAN correspondent’s question as to what measures the Prosecutor General’s would take if plainclothesmen again used physical force against journalists and prevented them from performing their duties during a new series of “silent” protesters scheduled for that evening.

Mr. Vasilevich noted that on July 15, he sent a letter to Interior Minister Anatol Kulyashow, which stressed that the journalists’ rights provided for by the Media Law should not be violated.

The prosecutor general also said that police officers should be in uniform. “There can be exceptions due to the task being performed, but they should chiefly be in uniform,” he said. “If they are not in uniform, they must introduce themselves, as you should know who is giving you orders.”

Mr. Vasilevich expressed hope that “the situation will be improving.”