Vasily Polonsky, one of the journalists of Russia's independent Dozhd channel, also known as TV Rain, detained in Minsk, has described how he and his colleagues were treated by the Belarusian security forces during detention in Minsk
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2020) Vasily Polonsky, one of the journalists of Russia's independent Dozhd channel, also known as tv Rain, detained in Minsk, has described how he and his colleagues were treated by the Belarusian security forces during detention in Minsk.
Two correspondents and one cameraman working for TV Rain were detained on Sunday in Minsk for covering the presidential election without due accreditation. They were released late on Sunday and deported to Russia. TV Rain Editor-in-Chief Tikhon Dzyadko told Sputnik on Monday that these journalists were banned from entering Belarus for five years.
"After we were taken to the [police] department itself ... they treated us humanely. My hands were very sore from the ties, and the officers who then processed us ... they quickly uncuffed us but then handcuffed me again. I started to defend my rights, then and they removed the handcuffs," Polonsky said, as aired by TV Rain.
However, "a terrible incident," according to the journalist, happened to his colleague, Vladimir Romensky, who was "stripped naked and entirely checked."
According to Polonsky, the official reason for the expulsion of the Russian journalists was formulated to be "in the interests of public order" in Belarus.
Sputnik Belarus correspondent Evgeny Oleinik, detained after the unrest in Minsk, told Sputnik that law enforcement agents had used force against him while being detained.
Belarus was rocked by protests on Monday night following the presidential elections, which saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko securing victory with over 80 percent of the vote. Main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's campaign team has said it does not recognize the results, adding that Tikhanovskaya had in fact secured between 70 and 80 percent of the ballots at all polling places.
