Articles

Belarus: Polish TV cameraman refused entry

The conflict around the Union of Poles in the Republic of Belarus continues. On Thursday, Belarussian custom officers refused entry to Roman Varszytski, a TV cameraman from Republic of Poland. (29-JULY-05)

Published: August 29, 2005

The conflict around the Union of Poles in Belarus continues. On Thursday, Belarussian custom officers refused entrance to Roman Varszytski, a TV cameraman from Poland. (29-JULY-05)

On 25 August, four Bialystok journalists driving in the Polish TV car to Hrodna (Grodno) near the Polish border were detained. Belarussian customs officers checked their documents and baggage. They first put a seal in the passport of Roman Varszytski allowing entry to Belarus, but then annulled it, according to his colleague Mikola Vauraniuk. They did not explain the reasons and referred him to the General Consulate of Belarus in Bialystok for explanation. Mr. Varszytski had lost neither his visa nor accreditation.

Roman Varszytski has repeatedly visited Hrodna to cover the conflict around the Union of Poles. On 4 August unidentified people punctured two wheels in his company car near the Hrodna railroad station, reports Radio Liberty.

According to information from the International Press Institute (IPI), several Polish and Belarusian journalists of Polish descent have recently been harassed and detained in the Belarusian cities of Schuchin and Hrodna.

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