Belarus: Police seize entire print run of private local newspaper

By Alice Purkiss / 16 January 2012

A 10,000 copy print run of a private Belarusian newspaper has been seized by police. Copies of Vitebsky Kuryer were seized by officers on Friday night, as a car carried them from the print house in Smolensk. Police pulled over the car, and ordered the driver to a nearby police station, where the print run was impounded. Yuliya Kanaplyova, a journalist from the newspaper, who was driving the car was charged with having dirty license plates. The newspaper was apparently seized following the article “Ten Facts about the Case of Ales Byalyatski,” detailing the proceedings against the prominent human rights defender.