MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Union of Journalists has called on the Belarusian authorities to explain the reasons why journalists of the Russian television channel Dozhd were detained in Minsk and disclose their whereabouts.
"The journalists were tasked to provide coverage of the presidential elections. According to witnesses, they were detained and taken to an undisclosed location. No information is yet available about police claims to the TV channel employees. The Russian Union of Journalists demands the Belarusian authorities explain the reasons for the detention of our colleague and disclose their whereabouts," the Union said in a statement posted on its website.
The Union said in considered the detention of journalists as a flagrant violation of the right of speech and the freedom of information.
Dozhd said earlier on Sunday that its correspondents Vladimir Romensky and Vasily Polonsky, and cameraman Nikola Antipov had been detained in Minsk by people in civilian clothes.
According to a representative of the headquarters of unregistered candidate Viktor Babariko, the ally of candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Maria Kolestinova, the journalists were detained after they had spoken with her in the street.
Belarus’ interior ministry has been unavailable for comment.
On Sunday, Belarus is holding its sixth presidential election since declaring independence in 1991. The incumbent head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, 65, is seeking his sixth term in office. Other candidates are co-leader of the Govori Pravdu (Tell the Truth) public movement Andrei Dmitriyev, former member of the lower parliament house Anna Kanopatskaya, housewife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, and leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Gramada Sergei Cherchen.