Viktor Kachan

Affiliated media: The Babruysk Courier , Journalist

Incident date: January 22, 2021

Attack type:

• Short-term detention

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Babruysk

Additional information:

Police came to Viktor Kachan’s apartment one morning, with a search warrant linked to a criminal case. According to the journalist, he did not fully understand what their motivations were, but heard something about insulting and threatening police officers on Telegram. As a result, his computer, phone, and old notebooks were confiscated. Kachan was taken to the police station, where he was held for four hours. He was later taken questioning at the Investigative Committee, where Viktor was told he was not a suspect, but a witness. By the evening, he had been released. At the police station, he was told his phone had been bugged. The officer who conducted the interview quoted phrases he had said in the past, which, according to Kachan, he had only ever said in private telephone conversations.