The Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus has established contact with representatives of local law enforcement agencies due to the detention in Minsk of three journalists, two of whom are citizens of Ukraine and is now awaiting official confirmation of the fact of detention and access to them, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry (MFA) said.
“According to available information, this is about Ivan Hrebeniuk and Iryna Romaliiska. The Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus has established contact with representatives of local law enforcement agencies. The consul expects from the Belarusian side official confirmation of the fact of detention and access to the detained citizens for primary consular assistance,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on August 7 evening.
The ministry said that the case is under the control of the Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus.
Earlier on August 7, the Current Time television channel announced that its staff correspondents Iryna Romaliiska, Yuriy Baraniuk and Ivan Hrebeniuk were detained at Hotel Minsk in the capital of Belarus.
“Romaliiska and Hrebeniuk are citizens of Ukraine, Baraniuk is a citizen of Russia. Iryna Romaliiska is the host of the Evening news program on the Current Time television channel. Ivan Grebeniuk is a Ukrainian journalist working for the Current Time in Prague. Yuriy Baraniuk is the own correspondent of the Current Time in St. Petersburg,” the channel said.
“The phones of the three detainees and of the Current Time’ own correspondent in Belarus, Roman Vasiukovych, are currently blocked,” the channel said.
