Index: Polish journalist faces four years in prison for ‘insulting the president’ of Belarus
June 17th, 2011 | No Comments | Posted by Joel Gunter in Legal, Newspapers, Politics, Press freedom and ethics
Andrey Pochobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper GazetaWyborcza, faces a four-year prison sentence for defamation and “insulting the president” of Belarus, according to report from Index on Censorship.
Pochobut’s trial began yesterday but journalists and family members are excluded from proceedings.
Index voices serious concerns over whether Pochobut will receive a fair trial.
If found guilty, Pochobut would be the fourth journalist sent to prison on a charge of “insulting the president” if he is found guilty.
Full report on Index on Censorship at this link.
Tags: Andrey Pochobut, belarus, GazetaWyborcza, press freedom, prison
