Business monthly’s director charged after eight months in custody

February 2, BPN. Authorities informed Kanstancin Załatych, director of the newspaper Belorusy i Rynok, of serious criminal charges brought against him, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said. The charges, however, have not been made public.

Załatych has been in custody for eight and a half months for allegedly inciting hatred. The case against him is soon be transferred to the prosecutor for further referral to court, BAJ said. He will remain at Detention Center No 1 on Vaładarskaha Street in Minsk during the trial.

Załatych’s lawyer would not disclose the charges because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement. All defense attorneys involved in politically-motivated cases are required to sign it, BAJ noted.

The Committee for State Security (KGB) arrested Załatych in May 2022 along with editor in chief Andrej Aleksandrovič and accountant Julija Kachno.

Authorities freed Aleksandrovič and Kachno later that day, while Załatych was placed in pre-trial detention. Human rights groups declared him a political prisoner.

In July 2022, the information ministry blocked access to the newspaper’s website belmarket.by because of alleged links to content blacklisted as extremist and unblocked it in late December.

In December, authorities also revoked the registration of the print version of Belorusy i Rynok, which had been published for 32 years.

Belorusy i Rynok was founded in December 1990 as the Belorusskiy Rynok weekly. It was renamed in September 2005, after Alaksandr Łukašenka had prohibited private entities from using the words “national” and “Belarusian” (Belorusskiy). It came out once a month in the last two years.