The “lack of freedom of speech” image hurts freedom fighters too

Yanina Melnikava leads the organizing committee of the “Journalists for the historical heritage” media-campaign, conducted by the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

 “The Belarusian journalists, who support our campaign, write a lot of materials regarding the problems of preservation of our country’s historical and cultural heritage, – Melnikava said. – Covering this topic, we wanted to show an example of people’s attitude towards the historical memorials in Europe, for example in the neighbouring Poland. I knew about the Civil Committee of Renovation of Krakow Achievements and its activities on preservation the historical centre of this beautiful city. That’s why I decided to contact this organization by email”.

The letter back from Poland contained a recommendation to visit the organization’s website for information. They also added:”The bureau of the civil committee is an organizational unit of the Administration of the President of the Polish Republic and the committee itself is a body, operating under the President’s patronage”.

So, “minding the peculiarities of mass media work in Belarus” Yanina Melnikava was advised to contact the press-service of the President’s Administration, which should’ve defined “the person with the authority to give the relevant and complete information”.

The Administration of the Polish head of the state has sent the Belarusian journalist back to the Civil Committee of Renovation of Krakow Achievements. But the second letter to this organization had pretty much the same result as the first one. With the same argumentation: “The Civil Committee of Renovation of Krakow Achievements can’t offer You any further assistance minding the situation in the Republic of Belarus as a country, where the authorities don’t guarantee freedom of mass media and break the international laws on human rights, what have been expressed in resolutions and statements of the European Council”, – the organization’s bureau director Matsej Viliamovski answered. 

“I have only one comment on this situation: game over”, – says Yanina Melnikava.

“We visit Europe and “whine” about the human rights breach so often, that it has become a “whatever place” for Europeans, so they just don’t want to anyhow deal with us,– In addition this writing back and forth occurred during a diplomatic conflict between Belarus and Poland, when Polish politicians were denied entrance to Belarus. So I don’t deny the guess that they’ve refused to deal with me because I’m from Belarus – no matter what I represent. This is quite an evidence of our image abroad”.