Spokeswoman For Minsk City Executive Committee Cursed Out BAJ Representative
- 6.03.2020, 12:31
The peculiarities of communication with officials in Belarus.
Accredited journalist of Radio Svaboda Aliaksandr Dashchynski has been trying for several days in a row to get a comment from the administration of Tsentralny district of Minsk regarding the demolition of a private house in Tsimirazeu Street in Minsk, baj.by reports.
- Having failed to get a comment on the situation on March 3, I decided to come to a personal meeting with Deputy Head of Tsentralny district administration Dzianis Zhybul on his reception day - March 4.
However, the police officer, who deals with admission to the building, simply did not let me in, saying that there would be any comment from Dzianis Zhybul, - Aliaksandr Dashchynski told the press service of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists has turned to the officials for comments, but was never able to get them.
In the morning of March 5, Head of the ideological work department of the Tsentralny district administration Yury Tsaba confirmed that he had heard about the incident and promised to call back and clarify the situation.
After that, BAJ was unable to get through to the official's office phone. We tried to get a comment from the press service of Minsk city executive committee, but no one answered the phone calls there all the morning.
The BAJ representative managed to get through to the personal phone of the press secretary of Minsk city executive committee, Alena Makhor. She said that she was on vacation and advised to continue calling the press service number, after which she used rough foul language and hung up.
The transcript of the conversation:
BAJ: Good afternoon!
Makhor: Hello!
BAJ: Alena, right?
Makhor: How can I help you?
BAJ: This is the Belarusian Association of Journalists. We are writing a piece about a journalist of Radio Saboda, who yesterday...
Makhor: May I interrupt you a little bit. I'm on vacation.
BAJ: I got it. Can you please tell me how to contact the press office, then?
Makhor: The phone number is 218-02-93.
BAGH: But no one picks it up, I've been calling all day.
Makhor: So that means you have to call.
BAJ: So, if the press service doesn't pick up the phone, it's the journalist's fault he didn't get through? Or what should I do?
Makhor: Keep calling, keep calling. Maybe she went out somewhere, or at a meeting. Fuck off, blargh!
By 2 p.m. the BAJ press service had not managed to get a comment on the incident with Aliaksandr Dashchynski.
The recording of the conversation with the press secretary of Minsk city executive committee will be submitted to the competent authorities for legal assessment.