July 28 Hłybokaje District Court Judge Lyudmila Vashenko recognized journalist guilty under Part 2 of Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal production and distribution of media products), – for collaborating with foreign media without accreditation.

The basis for the administrative case and prosecution has become material "in the Deep Roads will be positive", posted on June 9, the site "Belarusian Radio Ratsya." This is the material that students Hłybokaje art school named Jazep Drozdovich painted sewers, "making" them "turtles", "fish", "buttons" and other entertainment. I commented on this idea employee executive committee, which was summoned to court as a witness, but in the process did not come.

The journalist petitioned to the trial was held in the Belarusian language, but this request was rejected. The judge said that Tatiana Smotkina has "Russian-language" school and therefore must be understood in Russian.

"Mrs. Vashenko general asked me a lot of strange, in my opinion, the issues. In that school I learned why my literary education, and engaged in journalism, who advised me to this kind of work, if I bought articles on specific topics, how many paid for it. The large number of such questions, I just refused to answer as they are not relevant to the case" – Tatiana Smotkina said.

According to the case file, it was initiated by the Hłybokaje prosecutor's office: this structure requested the police to inspect whether Ms. Tatiana accredited as a foreign correspondent. The test result was negative, but Tatiana Smotkina said that according to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, every citizen has the right to receive information and share it with others. So she said, and at the trial, and earlier – on June 25 when a senior inspector of the department of law enforcement and prevention Hłybokaje police department Vyacheslav Barilo made her the protocol of the offense.

A court decision on the punishment of a fine of 25 basic units Tatiana Smotkina going to challenge in the Vitebsk regional court.

A complaint to the regional court prepares and another independent journalist from Hłybokaje – Dmitry Lupach. July 23 Chairman of the Hłybokaje district court Irina Kazak also fined him 25 basic units under the same article 22.9, part 2 of the Administrative Code – for collaborating with foreign media without accreditation.

Radio Liberty