Darashkevich: “Police officer claimed that I had hit him”
In the evening of 16 February, at the Kastryčnickaja square in Minsk, a photo reporter for Naša Niva, Yulia Darashkevich (photo left) was detained while covering a Solidarity Day action organised by opposition activists.
She was arrested while performing her professional duties. Yulia spent three hours at Central police precinct of Minsk where she was charged with inflicting injuries to a police officer. She was interrogated, and police officers also made a list of her personal belongings.
According to Ms Darashkevich, an unknown person in plain clothes tried to prevent her from filming the action, and after that two police officers detained her. They said that the journalist had allegedly hit the person. “He had blood on his lips and claimed that I was responsible. Two others threw me into a police van. Police officers testified against me: at first they alleged that I had hit that guy with a fist but later that I’d done it with an elbow,” Julia shared after her release. She said that she had not touched the officer. “I asked them a logical question as to how a girl was able to hit an officer if she was holding on to her photo equipment with both hands,” Ms Darashkevich added.
While Julia Darashkevich was in police custody, human rights defenders, representatives of the Belarusian Association of Journalists and a lawyer were waiting outside the station. None of them was allowed to enter the premises and no information was provided.
After spending three hours at the police station and signing a written statement the photo reporter was released.
Yulia Darashkevich is one of the best known photo reporters in Belarus. On numerous occasions she was acknowledged for her work. The latest award she received was from TV Channel One (Russia) for “For brave and professional journalism.”
Koktysh: “I Don’t even want to hear about police and KGB” 
Next day, 17 February, Maryna Koktysh (photo left), a journalist with an independent newspaper Narodnaja Vola, had her working place searched. As a result, police confiscated her working materials and a computer.
There are grounds to believe that the reason for the search was Maryna’s coverage of a famous hunting case, in which several high ranking officials and police officers of the Homiel region (South Belarus) were involved as suspects. They were charged with illegal hunting and using their positions to cover up. Maryna Koktysh is a witness in this case.
The search lasted for about an hour. The police produced a search warrant and ordered the staff to switch off their mobile phones. Over a dozen journalists, including BAJ representatives and foreign diplomats, came to the newspaper offices immediately after receiving information about the search. “I am very tired now I don’t even want to hear anything about police or KGB. To be honest, I don’t have any desire to look at them ever again,” Maryna Koktysh said.
Human rights organisation Reporters Without Borders expressed their concern about the persecutions of Maryna Koktysh by the authorities. Their 19 February statement said that independent journalists were merely doing their work investigating a scandal where police officials were involved, and they should not be in any way associated with a crime they were covering.
Maryna Koktysh is an editor in chief deputy in Narodnaja Vola. She was awarded a prise For Brave and Professional Conduct.
