Interior minister: you can photograph buildings, but you may get detained

There is no ban on photographing administrative buildings in Belarus, but law enforcement officers can detain the people who arouse suspicion. This was announced by Interior Minister Ihar Shunevich in an interview with reporters.

Shunevich: "It was due not only to our precautions and what is happening in Europe (terrorist acts and certain threats of extremism), but also a certain personal experience. We have recorded several cases where really rowdy photos were put online and used to discredit the authorities and cause negative emotions in a large number of citizens. You can see that the wave has subsided somewhat and no one now focuses on this."

Shunevich noted that there is indeed a document for internal use, "the deputy minister sent a telegram to his subordinates to increase their vigilance". He believes that the  innovation will allow the police to be more vigilant.

"If an employee detaining you has reasonable evidence that your behavior causes his suspicions and that he has inner confidence that some threat exists, he is obliged to check you and find out what and why you are photographing," explains the minister.

According to Shunevich, the document identifies specific strategic assets - the building of the Ministry of Interior, the KGB, the courts and other law enforcement agencies which may be of interest as possible objects of provocative actions.