Iryna Khalip Summoned to Prosecutor’s Office

16.10.2003.

On 15 October vice-editor of “Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta” was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus. Prosecutors Hramkowski and Radzonaw from the Civil rights and liberties execution control department, demanded from her written explanations concerning two of her articles, “Saddam Can Be Hiding in Belarus” and “Belarusian Bluff-maker Decided to Pretend a Girl” published in the Russian “Novaya Gazeta”, where she worked as a correspondent.

“They asked me to write what I meant in my articles. They offered me ready answers for their questions and tried to convince me that in the article “Saddam Can BE Hiding in Belarus” I asserted that Lukashenka could support the international criminality. They spent much time asking what the world “bluff-maker’ meant. I said that it was my invention and they wouldn’t find it in any dictionaries. Then they asked me to find a synonym. I said “liar” and they tried to prove that I called President “liar”. It was a typical conversation between the blind and the deaf”, -- said Iryna Khalip.

The “BDG” vice-editor, correspondent of “Novaya Gazeta” Iryna Khalip thinks that this summon to the Prosecutor’s office can be connected with her recent visit to the PACE session in Strasburg to. There she presented a sharp report on the situation with the speech liberty in Belarus. In private, the prosecutors were interested to find how often Iryna Khalip had missions, for instance, to Strasburg.

According to Belarusian service of Radio “Liberty”, a criminal case for defamation of State officials has already been brought against Iryna Khalip. Iryna doesn’t exclude the possibility that the one for defamation of President can be initiated.

She says, though, that in her articles she only used well-known facts leaving it for the readers to make conclusions. A correspondent of Radio “Liberty” inquired at the Prosecutor’s office about this matter, and was told that the check-up on the abovementioned articles was conducted. Yury Azaronak, press-secretary of the Prosecutor’s office said that it was for investigators to decide for or against bringing of the criminal case.