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  • Freelancer from Homel Files Complaint to the UN HRC

    Larysa Shchyrakova, freelance reporter and deputy chair of the local Homel branch of BAJ, filed a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee regarding violation of her rights to gather and disseminate information. The information came from BAJ lawyer Leanid Sudalenka who will represent the reporter further in the case.

    Ларыса Шчыракова

    On Jan­u­ary 13 the judge of the Homel dis­trict court Ali­ak­san­dr Lisous­ki imposed a fine on Larysa Shcyrako­va for coop­er­a­tion with the satel­lite TV Bel­sat based in Poland. The reporter made a report about prob­lems of res­i­dents of vil­lage Uryt­skaye, Homel dis­trict. On April 15, the judge of the Cen­tral dis­trict court of Homel Ali­ak­san­dr Pisku­nou fined her and her col­league Kas­tus Zhuk­ous­ki for a report about refugees made in the local office of the Red Cross.

    “In Belarus, I have used all lev­els of judi­cial defense, and all with no result,” said Larysa Shcyrako­va. I also filed a super­vi­so­ry com­plaint to the Pros­e­cu­tor Gen­er­al, all in vain. It turns out that Bel­sat cas­es have no defense in the coun­try. I resort­ed to the only pos­si­ble legal rem­e­dy at the inter­na­tion­al lev­el.”

    Leanid Sudalen­ka remarked that Larysa Shcyrakova’s case revealed sev­er­al con­tra­dic­tions between the nation­al law and inter­na­tion­al treaties to which Belarus is a par­ty.

    “The Inter­na­tion­al Covenant on Civ­il and Polit­i­cal Rights guar­an­tees each per­son the right to gath­er and dis­sem­i­nate infor­ma­tion. Our nation­al law on the media in fact restricts the very essence of the right. I am sure that the case will end up with estab­lish­ing the vio­la­tion of the journalist’s right,” he added.

    For more infor­ma­tion see Arti­cle 22.9 of the Code of Admin­is­tra­tive Vio­la­tions

    Relat­ed: Free­lance Jour­nal­ist Com­plains to UN Human Rights Com­mit­tee

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