Reporters Without Borders Condemn Persecution of Cartoon-makers

01.09.2005.

On 18 August 2005 Reporters Without Borders condemned the raids carried out on 16 August by the Belarusian secret police, the KGB, on three apartments in Minsk and the western city of Grodno allegedly belonging to young members of the Third Way opposition movement who create satirical, animated cartoons (in Flash format) for Internet distribution.
The KGB confiscated at least 12 computers and material used to produced the cartoons, and interrogated three Third Way members.
"This harassment is yet another example of the authoritarianism prevailing in Belarus," Reporters Without Borders said. "Any sarcasm and criticism of the authorities is severely punished. Three journalists have been given prison terms for 'insulting the president' in recent years and it would be intolerable if these young Internet users were now to suffer the same fate."

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