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Leader criticizes Supreme Court`s decision to uphold warning for Belarusian Association of Journalists

The chairwoman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists on Monday criticized the Supreme Court`s decision to uphold the most recent warning issued by the justice ministry to the media organization, BelaPAN said.

The ministry’s warning says that the BAJ certificate cover carries “illegally” the word “Press,” and members of the Association use the certificate to introduce themselves as journalists “without any grounds.”

"I don`t want to offend the high court, which acts on behalf of the Republic of Belarus, but I`m inclined to conclude that this was a political decision," Zhanna Litvina told reporters minutes after the Supreme Court announced its ruling.

"We didn’t violate the law, didn`t issue press cards to members of our organization. We are not a media outlet and our certificates are not press cards," she said.

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe will hold a meeting on June 4 to consider whether the warning is in line with the major principles and standards of human rights, Ms. Litvina said.

"That means that there is already an international reaction to this warning. I hope for support from international organizations," she noted.

She referred to Aidan White, secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists, who said that that the Belarusian authorities had lost their sense of proportion and reality because they had prohibited people who collect, store and distribute information from using the word `press.`