No Case brought against STV Journalist Dzhuraieva

14.12.2006.

Tsentralny borough’s police department refused to start a criminal case against STV journalist L.Dzhuraieva. The appeal for it was sent by the Protestant Church Novaie Zhyttsyo. It was said that the journalist had insulted the church in her reports.

The Church also demanded to start a case against the participants of her reports – the head of the Religion Department of Minsk city executive committee A.Rabitsava and a Candidate in History I.Ianushkevich.

’There was nothing illegal in the actions of the mentioned people’, – is stated in the official reply signed by the head of the Tsentralny borough police department V.Siniakou.

’We consider the information presented in the reports to be slanderous and provocative’, claimed the church’s lawyer. ‘As a result of cutting, viewers could think that the participants of the action were going to go on a hunger strike till death’.

L.Dzhuraeva’s reports went on the air on 14 and 15 October. On those days the church’s adherents were on a hunger strike in protest of the confiscation of the building of their church.