Investigative Committee returns equipment to Belsat TV
Agents taking away Belsat TV's computers from the office in Minsk / Roman Pratasevich, Euroradio
The Investigative Committee of Belarus has returned the equipment seized during the raid on Belsat TV’s office in Minsk on 9 April, Belsat CEO Agnieszka Romaszewska wrote on Facebook. According to Ms Romaszewska, the law-enforcement officials also apologized for the mess they had left behind.
Journalist Mikola Dziabiola who was in the office during the search said the agents took away two hard discs, three notebooks, and all memory sticks, reports the press service of Belarusian Association of Journalists.
Investigative Committee’s spokesman Siarhei Kabakovich said the search was conducted in connection with a slander criminal case over the Belsat TV’s report on the detention of Medtechcenter CEO Aleh Shved. The Belsat’s story had mistakenly claimed that not only Aleh Shved but also his brother Andrei who heads of the State Forensic Committee was detained in a corruption probe.
The TV channel editors spotted the mistake and published the correction. However, Andrei Shved filed a complaint to Interior Minister Ihar Shunevich, seeking to punish the report’s author Ales Zaleuski for defamation and discreditation of public officials.
