February 16, BPN. The trial of Naša Niva editor-in-chief, Jahor Marcinovič and the former editor of the newspaper Andrej Skurko is scheduled on February 28, Naša Niva reported.
Marcinovič and Skurko are charged under Article 216, part 2 of the Criminal Code for “causing damage to property without signs of theft, committed by a group of persons by prior agreement, on a large scale,” the Prosecutor General’s Office reports with reference to the prosecutor’s office of Minsk.
“According to the case files, Skurko and Marcinovič, as executives of a publishing company, and Marcinovič also as the owner of a private unitary enterprise, registered the offices for business activities of these organizations in an apartment belonging to Skurko from May 2017 to June 2021,” the report reads. “At the same time, the defendants did not sign contracts for housing and communal services at the rates for legal entities, paying for services at the rates used for the population at residential premises where citizens are registered at the place of residence or stay.”
Minskenergo and Minskvodakanal, communal services providers in the city, have suffered damages of over 10 thousand rubles, which Skurko and Marcinovič reimbursed in full,” noted the Prosecutor’s Office.
Skurko and Marcinovič are to remain in custody until the trial.
On January 27, the Interior Ministry’s press service announced that “a group of citizens from among the staff of the private publishing unitary enterprise “Surodzičy” (Naša Niva newspaper), including their social networks and messengers,” were recognised as an extremist formation. Naša Niva became the fourth media outlet with this status along with BelaPAN, Radio Svaboda, and Belsat TV channel.
Marcinovič and Skurko remain in custody since July 8, 2021. Both journalists are recognized as political prisoners.
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