MBH Media journalist Roman Popkov was arrested in Minsk for 15 days

The court of the Moscow district of Minsk arrested Roman Popkov, a columnist for MBKh Media, for 15 days, the publication itself reports.

Popkov was found guilty of participating in an unsanctioned rally on October 11. The journalist himself said in court via video link that he did not take part in it, but carried out an editorial task.

“Roman Popkov is a journalist, he does not take part in protests, he covers them and watches them as a columnist. I consider obstruction of professional activities and the arrest of a journalist unacceptable,” Veronika Kutsyllo, editor-in-chief of MBKh Media, said in a statement regarding Popkov’s arrest.

• As MBKh Media adds, at a court hearing on November 9, it was announced that Popkov was banned from entering Belarus. He had not been informed of such a decision before, the publication clarifies.
• On November 7, Roman Popkov stopped contacting the editorial office after he gave information about the detention of women's march participants on Independence Avenue in Minsk.
• A few hours later it turned out that he was detained and taken to one of the police stations "for further investigation."