Reuters correspondent’s camera broken, BBC journalist beaten

• 30.06.2011, 0:16

Foreign journalists face more and more cruel treatment in Minsk.

A photo correspondent for Interfax-Zapad news agency, Pavel Potashnikov, was detained at the street action “Revolution through social networks” in Minsk on Wednesday. Three more photographers were detained with the Interfax journalist. Potashnikov sent an SMS to editor’s office to say he was not allowed to make a phone call.

As eye-witnesses claim, a camera of Reuters TV cameraman Vladimir Kostin was broken during the rally.

Three journalists for “Komsomolskaya Pravda” newspaper and a journalist for Polish Belsat TV were detained, media report.

Eye-witnesses say an Estonian national and a correspondent of the Latvian Radio were detained.

BBC reports its correspondents were attacked by Minsk police. Oleg Boldyrev, a correspondent of the BBC Russian Service got some blows to his head and legs.

As reported earlier, representatives of Belarusian media - “Nasha Niva” journalist Ales Piletski, BelaPAN photographer Uladz Hrydzin - were detained; BelaPAN camera operator Vasily Syamashka was beaten.

All detained journalists, including Interfax-Zapad photographer Pavel Potashnikov, were released from the Maskouski district police department without any reports drawn up.

Potashnikov emphasized the detention was “very quick and cruel”.

Organizers of “Revolution through social networks” hold protest actions without slogans and posters in Belarusian towns every Wednesday. Participants of actions express their protest against authorities’ actions by applauding.