CEE
Newsweek: After hundreds quit Belarus state media in protest, Russian crews were flown in to take over
A director for a state television channel in Belarus charges that she and other striking workers were not allowed to continue doing their jobs, saying that Russian specialists were brought in to take over amid large anti-government demonstrations.
In a video uploaded by Belarusian news source TUT.BY on Wednesday, the journalist identifies herself as Alena Martinovskaya, a director at state TV and radio channel Belarus 3. "Today, my colleagues and I went to the work building around 9 am. There was an officer standing guard. He asked where I am going, and I said, 'To work.' He said, 'Please show me your license' and asked for my surname," Martinovskaya says in the clip. "Then he said, 'You're on the blacklist, and we cannot let you in.' I asked, 'Why?' And he said, 'Just because.' Then the officer said, 'Call your boss to confirm what's going on,'" she continues. Martinovskaya speculated that the "blacklist" included the names of people who had complained about the results of the recent election. President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" and has held power for 26 years, won just over 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 contest. But the opposition has discredited the vote, saying that the results are fraudulent and that vote rigging took place. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has dismissed the protests and cracked down on peaceful demonstrators. He has said that Putin promised to send Russian military assistance if necessary to quell the ongoing unrest. RELATED
|
SEARCH
TVBIZZ LIVE
FOCUS
GET OUR NEWSLETTER
|