Yuri Gontserevich, a journalist from the Belarusian city of Baranovichi, has been charged with aiding and abetting extremist acts after sending photos of Russian military equipment to digital news outlets designated extremist in Belarus, the unregistered Belarusian Association of Journalists said on Wednesday
MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2022) Yuri Gontserevich, a journalist from the Belarusian city of Baranovichi, has been charged with aiding and abetting extremist acts after sending photos of Russian military equipment to digital news outlets designated extremist in Belarus, the unregistered Belarusian Association of Journalists said on Wednesday.
"Baranovichi journalist Yury Gontserevich, who was arrested two weeks ago, was charged under the article 'Assisting extremist activity' and transferred to the Baranovichi detention center number six. In accordance with the charges, the journalist faces up to six years imprisonment," the association said in a statement.
The association said that the number of journalists in custody is currently totaling 25.
The website of the Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office confirmed that a 23-year-old male resident of Baranovichi with a last name starting with "G" has been arrested over complicity in extremism, but did not explicitly name Yuri Gontserevich.
The preliminary investigation found that on March 2 Gontserevich sent photos of the military to the Telegram bot of the Belarusian branch of US-owned broadcaster Radio Liberty, whose materials were declared as extremist in Belarus in March.
The Prosecutor General's Office noted that investigative and procedural actions are currently underway, including those aimed at establishing the journalist's involvement in other crimes.
