BelaPAN writer charged in 'BELTA case'

BelaPAN journalist Tatsiana Karavenkova. Photo: Radio Liberty
BelaPAN journalist Tatsiana Karavenkova. Photo: Radio Liberty

BelaPAN news agency writer Tatsiana Karavenkova today was formally charged in the so called 'BELTA case' under Article 349 (2) in the Criminal Code of Belarus, which deals with unauthorised access to computer information. She may be required to compensate damages to the BELTA news agency in amount of up to BYN5000 ($2450).

When the journalist walked out of the Investigation Committee after interrogation, she told fellow journalists that the authorities were thus continuing to put pressure on TUT.BY, which "suffered the most."

Tatsiana Karavenkova and other suspects in the 'BELTA case' made written pledges not to leave the country. Tatsiana covers international politics for BelaPAN but had to refuse from several important assignments abroad, and her colleagues had to step in for her, reports the press office of Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).

She said she was not denying that she had read BELTA's newsfeed. Currently, BelaPAN journalists do not use the newsfeed from the state news agency as a matter of principle.