You're reading: Belarus deports Russian journalist for interviewing opposition activists

Minsk, Oct 26 (Interfax) - Igor Karmazin, a journalist from the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, who earlier came to Minsk to make reports featuring people convicted for participation in the Dec. 19, 2010 unrest in Minsk, has been deported from the country, Belarusian Internet publications have said.

Karmazin met with Nikita Likhovid, who was convicted and then pardoned by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and then with Irina Khalip, the wife of former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov.

After his interview with Khalip, the journalist was approached by two men in civilian clothing, who told him, "Follow us."

"Karmazin was brought to the Partizansky District Police Department in Minsk, where he was searched, all records were deleted from his voice recorder, then he was fingerprinted, and attempts were made to question him regarding the essence of his conversation with Khalip," one of the Internet resources reported.

After that, the Russian journalist was presented with a paper signed by Partizansky District Police Department deputy chief Alexander Gladun, saying that he was barred from entering Belarus for one year. If he violates this ban, he could face up to three years’ imprisonment.

Karmazin received a special stamp to his passport and was then escorted to the railway station, the reports said.

Interfax could not immediately obtain confirmation of these reports either from Belarusian official institutions or from Moskovsky Komsomolets.