Journalist, Activist Taken Off Train At Belarusian-Polish Border

A Novy Chas journalist and an activist were taken off the train when they were returning home to Belarus.

Human rights activists of Viasna learned on September 22, the Novy Chas and Zeleniy Portal journalist Aliaksandr Vialitchanka and activist Alina Stetsova were taken off the Terespol-Brest train at the Belarusian-Polish border, when they were returning home to Belarus, spring96.org reports.

According to Aliaksandr, their passports were immediately taken away, and after the customs officers searched their personal things on the train, they took the journalist and the activist for a personal search. However, in order to carry it out, customs officers must obtain the signature of the chief, who had a day off then. It is known that the customs officers went for a signature. Vialitchanka and Stetsova were closed in the border control hall. They had been waiting for more than an hour, and were late for the next train.

During the search they were asked about extremist literature.

“Then they advised me to think about why this is happening here and now,” the journalist says.

At 15:30, the border guards began a personal search of the journalist. They were done in 20 minutes.

“They made a full check of the backpack. Ordered to undress to underpants.

It seems that everything was according to the procedure. There was a witness, a border guard who was taking us off the train, and the man who was searching me. They issued a protocol and gave it to us to sign,” says Aliaksandr Vialitchanka.

After a while, activist Alina Stetsova was also searched. A personal search of the activist was carried out by female officers.

Belarusian customs officials did not report the reasons for such attention to the journalist and activist. The whole procedure took more than two hours.

After that, according to Aliaksandr Vialitchanka, the shift supervisor apologized for everything and said that this procedure was also unpleasant for him and that this was not his idea.

“And he insisted that I should think, “where, when, with whom and why,” since this can continue every time when I cross the border,” the journalist added.