Journalists Pauliuk Bykouski And Iryna Leushyna Remain Behind Bars

In Belarus, the majority of journalists detained in the BelTA case on August 7-8 were released.

Pauliuk Bykouski, a Deutsche Welle correspondent in Minsk, and Iryna Leushyna, the BelaPAN editor-in-chief, remain behind bars, Radio Svaboda informs.

Pauliuk Bykouski, a Deutsche Welle correspondent who was detained in the "BelTA case," will be interrogated in the Investigative Committee on August 10. This follows from his wife's message posted on Facebook late on August 9.

"No. Pauliuk has not yet been released. It took at least 8 calls to get this simple information, – Volha Bykouskaya wrote with reference to a lawyer. – They will conduct investigative actions tomorrow – in other words, interrogation. I personally will expect that they will release him after it. This follows from the previous actions of the IC. Well, if he is not released tomorrow, then I will be waiting for him near the temporary detention facility in Akrestsin Street at 15.30 on Saturday."

Bykouski was detained for 72 hours on August 8. This term expires on Saturday, August 11th. Before that, the police searched his apartment and confiscated all electronic media.

Deutsche Welle appealed to the Belarusian ambassador in Berlin with a demand to immediately release Bykouski. In defense of journalists, the German government said. The German government spoke in defense of journalists.

Iryna Leushyna, the editor-in-chief of the BelaPAN news agency, was detained on the morning of August 9. The police searched Leushyna's apartment and opened her computer's system unit. After the investigative committee interrogated Leushyna, she was taken to the Minsk detention center on Akrestsin Street.

The tut.by editor-in-chief Maryna Zolatova, as well as Hanna Kaltyhina and Hanna Ermachonak from tut.by, web site editor of the newspaper Belarusians and the Market Aliaksei Zhukou and the BelaPAN journalist Tatsiana Karavenkava. Halina Ulasik (tut.by) was released on August 9.

In total, representatives of 6 editorial offices appear in the criminal case: ZAO BelaPAN, OOO Tut Bai Media, publishing house Belorusskaya Nauka, newspaper Kultura, OOO Realt Bai, OOO ITV.