Raman Kachina

Affiliated media: Pressball, Journalist

Incident date: July 28, 2022

Attack type:

• Short-term detention

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

It became known that the law enforcers detained Raman Kachina, 17-year-old author of the sports newspaper Pressball. «Penitential» video with him appeared on the pro-government Telegram channels. The authors claim that the young man was inciting hatred on the Internet «to the Russians.» In the video, Roman «admits» that in August 2020, he took part in a rally and also left negative comments about Russian residents in connection with the war in Ukraine. In the video, the teenager says that he was going to study journalism. The authors of the channel sneer that he would not be allowed to do so by «adjustments made to his life plans». The recording of «repentance» videos, practiced by the Belarusian security forces, is equated by human rights activists with torture.