Belarus, Azerbaijan imitate democratic values – Yanchuk

Mikhas Yanchuk (a Belarus opposition activist heading TV Bialorus (Belsat) told Objective TV (an opposition Internet TV channel in Azerbaijan) Belarus and Azerbaijan have similar problems in the TV channels’ attitude to their own people.

“The TV channels in both states provide too little air time to the opposition and formally report about pluralism, democracy and human values. But as soon as people take to the streets and demand real reforms, the riot troops attack the protesters and disperse them, and the law enforcers begin to persecute the instigators and exert pressure on reporters,” Yanchuk said.

He said tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Minsk during the recent presidential elections. Then the police (called militia in Belarus) broke two video cameras of Belsat and arrested the reporters for 15 days, and fined them.